Mike Waltz lays groundwork for Ukraine peace deal days after Volodymyr Zelenskyy spat

Negotiations appear to be moving forward between the U.S. and Ukraine after a highly publicized blowup in the White House between the country’s leaders.

And a former Florida Congressman is playing a pivotal role.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said he and his Ukrainian counterpart have been on the phone discussing the resumption of talks between the American side and Ukraine.

“We are talking about a location, a date, a negotiating team,” Waltz said on “Fox & Friends.”

The optimism from Waltz and the Donald Trump administration comes after the President, during his speech to Congress Tuesday night, shared a letter written by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy that said Ukraine is “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer” under Trump’s “strong leadership.”

The conciliatory communication appears to have reassured the Trump administration at a pivotal time.

Waltz said the White House “came out of the Oval Office truly questioning last week” whether Zelenskyy would “ever deal with the Russians and bring this war to an end.” But Waltz shared that the President was reassured by Zelenskyy’s latest communication.

“He said, ‘Got it. Wish we had heard this last week. This is a good positive first step,’ and then directed us to get the details of the negotiations and set those in,” Waltz said.

If negotiations can get back on track, it will represent the latest plot twist in the White House’s attempt to wind down a three-year operation that has seen America commit tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine’s defense.

The exact figure of American aid is disputed, indicating that the fog of war extends to the financing of the enterprise.

Trump says the U.S. has spent $350 billion. The Voice of America says $183 billion has been appropriated, including $65.9 billion in direct aid and $58 billion in domestic spending that includes sending old stock to Ukraine and replacing it. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker pegs the number in euros at just under €115 billion.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine to develop the latter’s rare earth minerals and defray war costs incurred under the Joe Biden administration was just a “tush push” away.

His reference to the Philadelphia Eagles’ goal line play was ironic given last week’s fumble on the field. But upon further review, the Trump administration may get a second chance to get the ball across the goal line.

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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.

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