The minerals deal offered to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would benefit the world for a generation, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz claimed Monday.

“He could have been left with an economic guarantee that would have benefited Ukraine and, I think, the world for a generation,” Waltz said at the White House. “So it’s really confounding to us why we had such hostility coming into [the meeting on Friday].”

That now-infamous meeting between Zelensky and President Donald Trump ended with the minerals deal unsigned and a scheduled press conference canceled as the Ukrainian leader headed off to Europe.

The Trump administration says the minerals deal includes de facto security benefits because the U.S. will have a stake in the country’s economy that can only survive in peace. Still, Zelensky is pushing for a full-scale security guarantee, a disagreement that underpinned the Oval Office shouting match last Friday.

Zelensky has since been talking with supportive European leaders who may try to forge their own deal, something Waltz said the U.S. supports.

“We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security,” he said. “We welcome Europe stepping up for Europe, but they have to also invest in the capabilities to do so.”

Trump has long complained that Europe does not fund enough of its own defense and is not contributing enough to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Zelensky met over the weekend with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, two leaders Trump has welcomed at the White House since taking office. Waltz said both men had shown a will to invest more in defense capabilities.

However, Waltz added that all of the underlying information was known before the Oval Office blowup, expressing disappointment that Zelensky did not sign the minerals deal.

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Zelensky says he is still open to signing the minerals deal, though White House officials allege that he has now refused to do so three separate times.

Leaders from the European Union will meet on Thursday for an emergency summit, during which they are expected to discuss additional support for Ukraine and a potential European security guarantee.