A senior adviser to President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the United States requires a Ukrainian leader who is committed to achieving a sustainable peace with Russia, though it remains uncertain whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is ready to take that step.
Following a tense exchange in the Oval Office involving Trump, Zelenskiy, and Vice President JD Vance, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz emphasized that Washington aims to establish a lasting peace between Moscow and Kyiv, which would necessitate territorial concessions in return for security guarantees led by Europe.
When asked if Trump believes Zelenskiy should step down, Waltz responded on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “We need a leader who can engage with us and ultimately negotiate with the Russians to bring an end to this conflict.”
Waltz further remarked, “If it becomes evident that President Zelenskiy’s personal or political motivations are not aligned with the goal of ceasing hostilities in his nation, we could face a significant problem.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson also indicated that a change in leadership might be necessary in Ukraine if Zelenskiy fails to meet U.S. expectations.
“Something must change. He either needs to recognize the situation and return to the negotiating table with gratitude, or another leader must step in to guide the country in that direction,” the leading congressional Republican stated during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
The recent Oval Office meeting highlighted the growing tensions between Zelenskiy and Trump. Consequently, a proposed agreement for the joint development of Ukraine’s natural resources remained unsigned and unresolved.
“It was unclear to us whether President Zelenskiy was prepared to negotiate in good faith towards concluding this war,” Waltz noted.
On ABC’s This Week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned that he has not communicated with Zelenskiy since Friday.
Rubio also indicated that he has not been in contact with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha since the confrontation between Trump and Zelenskiy at the White House, which resulted in the failure to finalize the anticipated minerals agreement.
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We will be prepared to reengage once they are ready to pursue peace, Rubio stated during the broadcast.Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar expressed her shock regarding the confrontation in the Oval Office on “This Week.” She mentioned that prior to Zelenskiy’s visit to the White House on Friday, she had met with him, and he was enthusiastic about finalizing a anticipated minerals agreement.She added, “There remains an opportunity for a peace agreement.”
