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National security adviser Mike Waltz said on Monday that the idea of Ukraine joining NATO is “not back on the table,” despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent offer to step down in exchange for his country’s membership to the military alliance.
“I do not see the United States having Ukraine enter into NATO and then having United States troops essentially obligated immediately in terms of Article 5 or to have U.S. troops coming directly in for the offense of Ukraine…. that’s very different than the U.S. commitment to NATO and existing NATO countries,” Waltz said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”.
Zelenskyy said that he would leave office in exchange for peace or for NATO membership for Ukraine during an appearance at the “Ukraine. Year 2025″ conference on Sunday in Kyiv.
Waltz’s comments follow his trip last week to Saudi Arabia where he — along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Special envoy Steve Witkoff — led talks to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukrainian officials were not present for the negotiations, saying they were not invited. Ukraine has said it would not welcome a deal forced on them, especially one that involves surrendering Russian-occupied territory.
Waltz emphasized that “frustrations are high,” as the Trump administration is hoping to come to an agreement to end the war soon. Last week, President Donald Trump attacked Zelenskyy on the social media platform Truth Social, calling him a “Dictator without Elections,” furthering fears about the United States being more amenable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands.
When asked if there is an in-person meeting scheduled between Putin and Trump to discuss the war, Waltz said “not at this moment.”
“We expect to get this deal done, President Trump expects to get this deal done, and I think you will see that in very short order,” he said.
As for the future of Ukraine’s security, Waltz said the United States supports France, the United Kingdom and other European countries agreeing to enter into “very strong” security guarantees for Ukraine.
“We have been asking for years for Europe to step up for its own defense and we have been asking for years for Europe to pay for its own defense as the U.S. taxpayer has been taking an unfair burden for decades now.” Waltz said.
Waltz also reiterated Trump’s proposal for establishing American security for Ukraine through the exchange of rare minerals — a proposal Ukrainian officials have not expressed interest in.
“Of course the U.S. would protect our assets for which we were invested in,” Waltz said. “This could mean trillions not only for the Ukrainian people but for us and for stability for the region that economic investment is one of the security guarantees that Ukraine could hope for.”
