Waltz: Ukraine needs to ‘tone it down’

Trump’s national security adviser says Zelenskyy pushback unacceptable

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, referring to what he called “bad-mouthing” and “pushback” from Ukraine, said during a Fox News interview that the behavior of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unacceptable. Mark Schiefelbein/ap

U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said Thursday Ukraine needs to “tone it down” after its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said President Donald Trump is living in a “disinformation space.”

Waltz, referring to what he called “bad-mouthing” and “pushback” from Ukraine, said during a Fox News interview that the behavior is unacceptable. He expressed the need for the country’s government to agree to a potential deal to end the war with Russia.

“Why we’re getting this pushback and certainly this kind of, as the vice president said, badmouthing in the press — for all the administration has done in his first term as well, and all the United States has done for Ukraine is just, it’s unacceptable,” Waltz said, referring to Trump’s first term as president. “They need to tone it down, and take a hard look and sign that deal.”

Trump fired back at Zelenskyy’s remarks Wednesday, calling the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” via Truth Social. He argued Zelenskyy “better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left [sic].”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed to Zelenskyy that the U.S. own half of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals if Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree to end the war, according to NBC News. Waltz said the deal would be a co-investment between U.S. and Ukraine.

“We presented the Ukrainians really an incredible and historic opportunity to have the United States of America co-invest with Ukraine, invest in its economy, invest in its natural resources and really become a partner in Ukraine’s future in a way that’s sustainable but also would be, I think, the best security guarantee they could ever hope for, much more than another pallet of ammunition,” the national security adviser said.

Zelenskyy rejected that deal, noting he wants “some sort of guarantees” in exchange, according to Reuters.

“I defend Ukraine, I can’t sell our country. I said, ‘Okay, give us some sort of positive. You write some sort of guarantees, and we will write a memorandum … some sort of percentages,’ ” he reportedly said.

“I was told: only 50 . I said, ‘okay, no.’ Let the lawyers work some more, they did not do all the necessary work,” Reuters quoted Zelenskyy as adding. “I am just the decision maker, I don’t work on the details of this document. Let them work on it.”

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at [e-mail]. Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.