Treasury Secretary Bessent 'Shocked' at Trump, Zelenskiy Argument: Full Exclusive Interview

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke exclusively with Bloomberg's David Westin following a heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Bessent addressed the repercussions of their confrontation and discussed the future of US-Ukraine relations, including tariffs and inflation.

Bessent described Zelenskiy's visit to the White House on Friday as “unacceptable.” He noted, “It’s very difficult to negotiate an economic deal with a leader who doesn’t want to pursue a peace deal,” during his interview with Bloomberg Television.

His remarks came shortly after Trump's attempt to finalize a critical minerals deal with Zelenskiy was disrupted by a contentious exchange between the two leaders. The disagreement primarily revolved around whether Zelenskiy had adequately expressed gratitude for US support. Zelenskiy was advocating for stronger security guarantees from the US in return for his agreement to the deal, which focused on enhancing economic ties but did not provide explicit security assurances.

Zelenskiy argued that the minerals deal would fall short in deterring further Russian aggression, stating, “Putin will never stop and will go further and further,” while emphasizing that the Russian leader “hates Ukrainians” and aims to destroy the country. “We can do it, but it’s not enough,” he added regarding the deal.

Bessent criticized Zelenskiy’s approach, calling it “one of the great diplomatic own goals in history,” referencing a moment in soccer when a player inadvertently scores for the opposing team. “I was shocked—shocked that President Zelenskiy would come into the Oval Office and behave like this, disrespecting the president, the vice president, and, more importantly, the American people,” Bessent articulated.

He further asserted that the proposed minerals agreement could have been a “fantastic deal.” According to a draft reviewed by Bloomberg, the proposal included sharing revenue from future extraction of government-owned minerals and energy resources such as gas, along with revenue from terminals and port infrastructure. This arrangement would pertain to new projects rather than existing ones and would necessitate significant investment in mining and processing facilities.