The depth of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s missteps at the White House during an Oval Office meeting with President Trump and Vice President Vance on Friday is still becoming apparent.
At this juncture, Ukraine is running 18th-century-style press gangs to increase their numbers of men for cannon fodder. They can’t hold out much longer. And the United States, despite what Zelensky might think, can’t keep pouring money into this conflict.
Ukraine’s president may have just muffed his one chance to come out of this without a disaster.
Previously on RedState: NEW: Zelensky Goes on a Tweet Storm, and It’s Likely Going to Make Things Much Worse
WATCH: SecState Marco Rubio Shows on CNN Why He’s a Great Pick to Implement Trump Strategy on Ukraine
In the latest dissection of the Ukrainian leader’s miscalculation, Pres. Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, chimed in on Fox News with host Charles Hurt.
“It’s not clear that Zelenskyy truly wants to stop the fighting. He came in, even though he was warned not to, determined to litigate all of that,” says @MikeWaltz47.
“This was the wrong approach, wrong time in history, and definitely the wrong president to try to do this.” pic.twitter.com/xHz8T4x153
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 1, 2025
Mr. Waltz said:
And let me just talk to something very quickly, that this was some kind of ambush. That is absolutely and categorically false. We had a beautiful setting in the East Room, ready for both leaders to sign, that would have bound the United States and Ukraine together economically for a generation, for critical minerals that we need, economic investment that they need, and that would have been on the heels, Charlie, of having the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who says he’s ready to put boots on the ground, the President of France, Macron, who is ready to put boots on the ground, NATO Secretary General that [sic] the president had just spoke to about broader security guarantees.
Now, it’s unclear what is meant by the U.K. and France putting boots on the ground. Does this imply that the United Kingdom and France are considering putting troops in Ukraine? Where they may face Russian troops in open conflict? Maybe so; in February, the U.K.’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated he was willing to use British troops to provide Ukraine with a security guarantee. There are reports that Ukraine is talking with France about a similar arrangement.
What could possibly go wrong with that?
So this really could have been and should have been a positive moment for Ukraine. And then we go to further negotiating with the Russians, bring this war to an end, and, and move the world forward, stop the death and destruction.
But instead, what became clear, and I think what has the president so, uh, so frustrated, and frankly angry, is that it’s not clear that Zelensky truly wants to stop the fighting. And he came in, even though he was warned not to, determined to litigate all that in front of the entire world. And the vice president said enough is enough, the president said enough is enough, and I gotta tell you, this was the wrong approach, wrong time in history, and definitely, the wrong president to try to do this kind of thing. This was not Joe Biden, this was Donald J. Trump. I think the entire world saw that, crystal clear.
It’s hard to see why anyone would wish to prolong a war, but Mr. Waltz raises an interesting point here: If President Zelensky did, for some indecipherable reason, wish to prolong this conflict, what would he have done differently on Friday?
