Initially, Donald Trump only made comments on social networks - the American president announced that his national security adviser Mike Walz would become US ambassador to the UN. His duties would be taken over by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Even Rubio's spokeswoman - Tammy Bruce - was surprised, she learned the news from a journalist during a press conference in which she participated. "This is the first time I'm hearing this - from you", Bruce did not hide.
Why did Mike Walz have to leave his position on the National Security Council? In an interview with Fox News, Vice President J.D. Vance tried to present the reshuffle as a kind of promotion: "I like Mike. He's a great guy. I, as well as the president, have confidence in him. But we think he will be an even better US ambassador to the UN".
Waltz was universally respected
It is more than obvious that the decision to dismiss Walz from his current post is related to the Signal chat scandal. Walz created a general chat in the publicly available Signal application, where he unwittingly added the editor-in-chief of the prestigious American publication "The Atlantic". In the same chat, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared classified information about the then-upcoming US strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. At the time, US media reported that Trump did not want to fire Walz so as not to give in to the media and admit that he was concerned about the problem. Now, apparently, this opinion has changed.
However, most observers do not believe that this is the only reason, ARD writes. Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton notes that Hegseth is the one who shared the classified information in the chat, and he remains in his post.
Waltz is respected by both parties in the US as a security expert and does not blindly follow Trump's decisions. On the contrary, he seems to have opposed him on some issues, for example, by warning him not to get too close to Russia, Moulton told CNN. According to the congressman, Mike Waltz was one of the few in the White House who still "told the truth", and this is the reason he was removed from his post.
Who will succeed Waltz?
In Washington, the position of ambassador to the UN is considered much less important than that of national security adviser. The fact that Trump does not particularly appreciate the UN should also be taken into account. Former General James Marks told CNN that Walz will definitely have much less influence from now on.
It remains unclear who will succeed Walz in his post on the National Security Council. Steve Witkoff, a close Trump confidant who the president has already sent to negotiate with Vladimir Putin four times, apparently prefers to remain in his role as special envoy, writes ARD. It is possible that Walz's post will be taken by Richard Grenell, former US ambassador to Germany.
And what lies ahead for Ukraine?
Walz's appointment temporarily pushed the question of the significance of the recently signed US-Ukrainian agreement on raw materials to the background. "The agreement doesn't mean much as long as Russia can continue its military offensive against Kiev," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told MSNBC.
The former head of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank is more positive: "This paves the way for the United States and Ukraine to work together," Richard Haas told CNBC, asking: "When was the last time we could really talk about something positive between Trump and Zelensky?". According to Haas, however, it remains an open question whether Trump will take the next step and continue to provide military support to Ukraine.
Author: Ralf Borchardt (ARD)