President Donald Trump is preparing for another busy week in Washington, meeting with foreign leaders as his administration continues efforts to broker a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz revealed on Fox News’ “America Reports” that Trump will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in his fifth week back in the Oval Office.
The announcement comes after Macron called for an emergency meeting of world leaders, following frustration over the Trump administration’s decision to exclude European nations from direct negotiations to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Fox News reported.
“Just a few months ago, everyone was talking about this war as though it would never end,” Waltz said on “America Reports” after confirming Starmer and Macron will visit Washington, D.C.
“In just a very short amount of time, President Trump has us, everyone – the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Europeans – talking about it now and debating.… Only President Trump could drive that shift in conversation. And we have to acknowledge that that’s happened,” Waltz, a former congressman and U.S. Army Special Forces officer, added.
Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met in Riyadh last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to discuss potential pathways to ending the conflict, Fox noted further.
Notably, Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, a decision that prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm his stance that Ukraine will not accept any peace deal unless it is directly involved in the negotiation process.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters in Turkey on Tuesday, reiterated that Kyiv will not accept any peace agreement unless it has a direct role in the negotiations.
Trump upped his rhetoric against Zelenskyy last week, including arguing that he is a poor negotiator and that he’s “sick of it.”
“I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade last week. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.”
“I get tired of listening to it,” Trump continued. “I’ve seen it enough, and then he complains that he’s not at a meeting that we’re having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate peace. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years with a… president who didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”
“He’s been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done, so I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He’s been there for three years. He’s he makes it very hard to make deals,” the president noted further.
On Friday, Trump was critical of Macron and Starmer, stating that they “haven’t done anything” since 2022 to help end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump’s recent comments about Zelenskyy have reportedly unsettled European leaders who have supported Ukraine throughout the conflict. Macron, in remarks on Thursday, hinted that he plans to take a firm stance with Trump during their upcoming meeting.
“Trump, I know him. I respect him and I believe he respects me,” Macron, arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday to meet with Trump, said during a question-and-answer session on social media. “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Vladimir Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of, and it’s not in your interests.”
Starmer, scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday, stated on Sunday in Scotland that peace talks cannot happen without Ukraine’s involvement.
“Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians,” he said Sunday, according to Reuters.
“But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future,” the UK leader added.
President Donald Trump is preparing for another busy week in Washington, meeting with foreign leaders as his administration continues efforts to broker a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz revealed on Fox News’ “America Reports” that Trump will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in his fifth week back in the Oval Office.
The announcement comes after Macron called for an emergency meeting of world leaders, following frustration over the Trump administration’s decision to exclude European nations from direct negotiations to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Fox News reported.
“Just a few months ago, everyone was talking about this war as though it would never end,” Waltz said on “America Reports” after confirming Starmer and Macron will visit Washington, D.C.
“In just a very short amount of time, President Trump has us, everyone – the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Europeans – talking about it now and debating.… Only President Trump could drive that shift in conversation. And we have to acknowledge that that’s happened,” Waltz, a former congressman and U.S. Army Special Forces officer, added.
Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met in Riyadh last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to discuss potential pathways to ending the conflict, Fox noted further.
Notably, Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, a decision that prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm his stance that Ukraine will not accept any peace deal unless it is directly involved in the negotiation process.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters in Turkey on Tuesday, reiterated that Kyiv will not accept any peace agreement unless it has a direct role in the negotiations.
Trump upped his rhetoric against Zelenskyy last week, including arguing that he is a poor negotiator and that he’s “sick of it.”
“I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade last week. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.”
“I get tired of listening to it,” Trump continued. “I’ve seen it enough, and then he complains that he’s not at a meeting that we’re having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate peace. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years with a… president who didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”
“He’s been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done, so I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He’s been there for three years. He’s he makes it very hard to make deals,” the president noted further.
On Friday, Trump was critical of Macron and Starmer, stating that they “haven’t done anything” since 2022 to help end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump’s recent comments about Zelenskyy have reportedly unsettled European leaders who have supported Ukraine throughout the conflict. Macron, in remarks on Thursday, hinted that he plans to take a firm stance with Trump during their upcoming meeting.
“Trump, I know him. I respect him and I believe he respects me,” Macron, arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday to meet with Trump, said during a question-and-answer session on social media. “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Vladimir Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of, and it’s not in your interests.”
Starmer, scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday, stated on Sunday in Scotland that peace talks cannot happen without Ukraine’s involvement.
“Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians,” he said Sunday, according to Reuters.
“But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future,” the UK leader added.
