Trump's national security advisor says Zelenskyy 'not ready to talk peace'

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not ready to engage in peace talks, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said Monday.

"What became so evident to us in that session was he's not ready to talk peace at all. But here's the problem: Time is not on his side," Waltz said in an interview with Fox News, following Friday's fiery exchange at the Oval Office.

"Time is not on the side of just forever continuing this conflict. The American people's patience is not unlimited. Their wallets are not unlimited, and our stockpiles and munitions are not unlimited," he said.

Waltz suggested that the ongoing war in Ukraine, which he compared to “World War I-style" trench warfare, is depleting resources and human lives at an unsustainable rate. He added that alternatives proposed by Democratic leaders and international allies largely involve continuing the war without a clear path to resolution.

Waltz said Zelenskyy had an opportunity to strengthen Ukraine’s long-term security and economic ties with the US but failed to capitalize on it. He pointed to discussions involving NATO leaders, Britain, and France regarding potential security guarantees and troop deployments.

"This was no ambush. This was an opportunity at a moment," Waltz said. "And I think President Zelenskyy truly did his country a real disservice by not having a pop."

A heated exchange took place Friday between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance at the White House.

The public spat over Zelenksyy’s doubts that Trump’s efforts to broker a deal to end the three-year-long war with Russia may not yield lasting peace.

Zelenskyy departed the White House following the argument, and a planned signing ceremony for a deal on critical minerals and press conference were canceled. ​​​​​​