Transcript: Rep. Michael Waltz on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 15, 2024 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-waltz-trump-national-security-adviser-face-the-nation-transcript-12-15-2024/ MARGARET BRENNAN: You were at Mar a Lago this past week when Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, met with Mr. Trump and Elon Musk and yourself. He then announced that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin. Orbán seems to be floating a Christmas ceasefire and a prisoner swap. Is he carrying with him some kind of message from Donald Trump?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Well, Orbán has regular engagement with the Russians, and he clearly has a good relationship with President Trump, and I would hope the entire world would want to see some type of cessation to the slaughter that is happening in eastern Ukraine. I mean, Margaret, people need to understand—
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Did Mr. Trump ask him to do that?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: This is World War I style-
(END CROSSTALK)
REP. MIKE WALTZ: This is World War I style warfare. It is a meat grinder of human beings. President Trump's been very concerned about the carnage that's ongoing. And where is this all going?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
REP. MIKE WALTZ: We need to stop the fighting. And, you know, look, if that is some type of ceasefire as a first step, again, we'll- we'll take a hard look at what that means. But until January 20, we are also in coordination with this current administration.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so no message was sent through Orbán to Putin by Trump. Is that- that's what I understand you saying there.
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Oh, I'm not going to- yeah, I'm not going to get into specifics of back and forths. But, one is talking, of course, we're going to continue to talk, and the- President Trump's made it clear he wants this war to stop.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Does the Trump team plan to limit how Ukraine can use U.S. weapons or targeting assistance when you take office?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Well, President Trump just said in the interview that, you know, a blank check, in his interview with Time magazine, I believe, you know, a blank check isn't- you know, just isn't a strategy. This just, kind of, forever war that we seem to be backing into. What does success look like in line with our interests? How do we end the war? Who's at the table? How do we drive, you know, all sides to the table, and what's the framework for- for an agreement? Those are things that we're thinking through with his fantastic team that he's assembling. ...
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
CBS
Date: 2024-12-16 08:19 pm (UTC)https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-waltz-trump-national-security-adviser-face-the-nation-transcript-12-15-2024/
MARGARET BRENNAN: You were at Mar a Lago this past week when Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, met with Mr. Trump and Elon Musk and yourself. He then announced that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin. Orbán seems to be floating a Christmas ceasefire and a prisoner swap. Is he carrying with him some kind of message from Donald Trump?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Well, Orbán has regular engagement with the Russians, and he clearly has a good relationship with President Trump, and I would hope the entire world would want to see some type of cessation to the slaughter that is happening in eastern Ukraine. I mean, Margaret, people need to understand—
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Did Mr. Trump ask him to do that?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: This is World War I style-
(END CROSSTALK)
REP. MIKE WALTZ: This is World War I style warfare. It is a meat grinder of human beings. President Trump's been very concerned about the carnage that's ongoing. And where is this all going?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
REP. MIKE WALTZ: We need to stop the fighting. And, you know, look, if that is some type of ceasefire as a first step, again, we'll- we'll take a hard look at what that means. But until January 20, we are also in coordination with this current administration.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so no message was sent through Orbán to Putin by Trump. Is that- that's what I understand you saying there.
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Oh, I'm not going to- yeah, I'm not going to get into specifics of back and forths. But, one is talking, of course, we're going to continue to talk, and the- President Trump's made it clear he wants this war to stop.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Does the Trump team plan to limit how Ukraine can use U.S. weapons or targeting assistance when you take office?
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Well, President Trump just said in the interview that, you know, a blank check, in his interview with Time magazine, I believe, you know, a blank check isn't- you know, just isn't a strategy. This just, kind of, forever war that we seem to be backing into. What does success look like in line with our interests? How do we end the war? Who's at the table? How do we drive, you know, all sides to the table, and what's the framework for- for an agreement? Those are things that we're thinking through with his fantastic team that he's assembling.
...