Trump presses Zelensky: Frustration rises as arms delay persists
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Thursday that Donald Trump is frustrated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's rejection of the "opportunity" for his country, which was supposed to be an agreement on "joint investments" in Ukrainian mineral deposits.
Donald Trump shocked the world by calling Zelensky a dictator, stating that he had little time to save the country. He then mentioned that Kyiv broke off the agreement developed by the U.S., which was supposed to lead to a ceasefire.
During a White House briefing, Trump advisor Mike Waltz did not directly answer a question about whether the U.S. had halted arms supplies to Ukraine. Influential Ukrainian deputy Roman Kostenko claimed this on Thursday.
Sparks on the Trump-Zelensky line. Slowing down arms transfers
However, Waltz confirmed that there are delays in the delivery of weapons transferred from American stockpiles and noted that U.S. resources are depleting. Shortly after, he added that Kyiv should sign an agreement concerning Washington taking half of the revenues from Ukrainian natural resources.
President Trump is evidently very frustrated now because President Zelensky refuses to come to the table and is unwilling to take advantage of the opportunity we offered him. Waltz said they (Ukrainians—ed.) need to soften their stance, look at the matter closely, and sign this agreement.
Zelensky initially agreed to talks but assessed that Trump's original proposal involved a demand to share Ukraine's resources without security guarantees. "That's not a serious conversation," the Ukrainian president said.
The advisor to the U.S. president expressed disappointment, noting that rather than engaging in meaningful discussions on progress in this area, the response was largely rhetorical in the media. Waltz emphasized that the agreement would include collaborative investments by the U.S. in Ukraine's deposits, leading to increased revenues for both nations. He also asserted that, in his view, nothing would benefit Ukraine’s future and security more than long-term U.S. investment in its economic growth.
Waltz also assessed that Trump is frustrated by what his administration sees as Zelensky's ingratitude for the assistance provided so far. He did not respond to the question of whether the U.S. president also considers Russian leader Vladimir Putin a dictator after calling the president of Ukraine that.
He also referred to Thursday's meeting between the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, and Zelensky in Kyiv. Waltz admitted that their talks included security guarantees. - A key part of this conversation was helping President Zelensky understand that this war must end. This kind of mantra without a definite end, which we had under the (Joe - ed.) Biden administration is over - he said.
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