Trump is set to appoint a congressman who opposed aid to Ukraine as his national security advisor.

The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, is preparing to appoint Florida Congressman Mike Waltz as his National Security Advisor.

Source. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal citing informed sources.

Both Trump and Waltz have yet to confirm this information.

The National Security Advisor is one of the key positions in the White House: the official in this role coordinates the work of all departments responsible for national security issues, briefs the president on current events, and implements his policies in this area. Additionally, the president does not need to seek Senate approval for the advisor's appointment.

Since January 2021, this position has been held by Jake Sullivan in the Biden administration.

As noted by WSJ, Waltz will begin his role amid ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Waltz is 50 years old and is a retired Special Forces officer. Before entering politics, he served in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa, and also worked at the Pentagon.

The Financial Times reminds that Waltz is a loyal ally of Trump and a staunch critic of Biden.

He advocates a "hawkish policy" towards China, viewing it as an "existential threat," criticizes NATO allies for their low defense spending, and is skeptical about U.S. military support for Ukraine.

In September 2023, Waltz wrote an article for Fox News titled "The Era of Blank Checks for Ukraine from Congress is Over." In it, he emphasized that U.S. military aid should depend on the contributions of European countries.

In a conversation with FT, Waltz suggested that Trump would compel Russia to come to the negotiating table by threatening to "devastate its economy" through reduced oil and gas prices if it refuses.

“We have economic leverage over Russia,” Waltz noted.

The politician also deemed Trump’s promise to initiate negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv as "perfectly reasonable."

During his first presidential term (2017–2021), Trump changed four National Security Advisors. Michael Flynn resigned after providing the FBI with incomplete information regarding contacts with the Russian ambassador. He was succeeded by Herbert McMaster, John Bolton, and Robert O'Brien.

Background. Meanwhile, Trump’s press service claims that he intends to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table immediately after his inauguration – it is asserted that he will address this on his very first day in office.