Reports that the takedown of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was a planned ambush are “total BS,” U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told Breitbart News Saturday, explaining that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear to Zelensky after the media display that the negotiation was over and it was “time to go.”
Historically speaking, Waltz said there have been moments in United States history where presidents determined that negotiations were not going well and walked away, giving the recent example of President Trump’s engagement with Kim Jong-un during his first term, when he walked out.
“The dealmaker-in-chief knows when to walk away from a bad deal or a bad, or a bad negotiation. President Reagan walked out of Reykjavík when Gorbachev refused to move forward because of missile defense. But you know, President Trump, it became clear in that meeting, if you remember a moment where he said, ‘You know, I’m glad this is all playing out in front of the press, because what you’re seeing is the other side is not interested in actually ending the war and accepting the reality of his situation and that he doesn’t have very many cards,'” Waltz said, explaining that he and Secretary Marco Rubio “echoed that when we walked in.”
“They were stunned. I don’t know how they thought that could move forward after that kind of very public episode with the, you know, the entire world watching,” he said, noting that Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. literally face-palmed in the Oval Office as it went down.
She “knew the gravity of what had just happened, that American patience had run out, that this President’s patience had run out, that he was personally insulted,” Waltz said.
“How do you come insult someone when you’re practically begging them for money and assistance, when you’re wholly dependent … and then walk into their White House and their Oval Office and try to be argumentative and insulting and fact-checking,” he continued. “So we made that clear in no uncertain terms. We made it clear that the negotiation, which could have been a fantastic day for them and the country, was over, and now it was time to go.”
"We made it clear that the negotiation, which could have been a fantastic day for them and the country was over and that it was time to go." @MikeWaltz47 on his message to the Ukrainian delegation after the @realDonaldTrump - @ZelenskyyUa White House Blow-Up via @BreitbartNews… pic.twitter.com/FvHBQJKrP2
— SiriusXM Patriot (@SiriusXMPatriot) March 1, 2025
Waltz also addressed reports that the scene was planned, calling such speculation “total BS.”
“And let me just, let me just address one more thing, because you’re hearing this on, you know, some of these — the other mainstream media, that this was some kind of setup as part of the plan. JD Vance, his ambush — total BS,” he said.
“I got to tell you, I worked hard negotiating that agreement. Secretary Bessent, the Secretary of Treasury, Rubio, we have been working this for weeks and really thought that Zelensky had an opportunity on the heels of other strong leaders, like the prime minister of United Kingdom, Macron of France, Secretary General of NATO — all who are talking about putting European troops and to secure Ukraine’s future, which is exactly in line with our strategy — Europe, take care of Europe — and then he could have walked out with a deal that would have meant trillions for Ukraine,” he said, adding it also would have meant that the “American taxpayer starts … recouping some of these billions that … they’ve donated and sent in grants, and restructure our entire aid.”
“He could have walked away with a massive win and blew it,” he added.
LISTEN:
Breitbart · Nat. Sec. Adv. Mike Waltz – March 1, 2025Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
