President Trump made no secret of his desire for Europe to shoulder more of its own security burden, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine. Now, in the first public commentary since the European leaders’ summit in London—where Britain took the reins—Trump’s team is making it clear they approve of the shift.
“We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security,” said National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Monday morning in a brief gaggle with the press. “That’s been an underpinning. They have to invest in the capability to do that.”
Waltz acknowledged the growing European commitment, particularly from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Last week before Friday, we also had the NATO Secretary General on the phone with the President, before President Zelenskyy came in. So we welcome Europe stepping up for Europe, but they have to also invest in the capabilities to do so, and all of that was evident and repeatedly communicated with the Ukrainians before Friday,” he said.
But there is a lingering sense of frustration within Trump’s camp. The president’s team does not understand why Zelenskyy acted as though this position was news to him when he visited the White House to sign the rare minerals agreement.
“He could have then left with an economic guarantee that would have benefited Ukraine and, I think, the world for a generation,” noted Waltz. “So it’s really confounding to us why we had such hostility.”
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