Bessent: "Zelensky misled on mineral deal"

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of misleading Washington, D.C., on several occasions regarding the proposed critical minerals deal.

“We were going to sign an agreement with the Ukrainians, and it would do a couple of things: first, it would deepen the US-Ukrainian partnership. Second, it would send a signal to the Russian leadership that the US is not leaving Ukraine alone. And, most importantly, it would show the American people that we are economically motivated, and that we are not just giving huge grants, as was the case with USAID,” Besant said.

“He got to the Oval Office and ruined what was supposed to be the easiest deal in the world,” the US Treasury Secretary concluded.

After Zelensky’s visit to the White House and a row with Trump, the parties took a break in negotiations.

In March, the US had handed Ukraine a new version of the agreement. European Pravda, citing the document, wrote that it was similar to the first version, which Zelensky had rejected. The agreement concerned compensation for military aid provided by Washington. The Ukrainian president opposed the idea.