U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused the Ukrainian side of derailing a deal on the development of mineral resources, claiming that obstacles are being created by those “who control the financial flows.” He made the statement in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
According to Bessent, the main reason for the delay is resistance from Ukrainian entities that are not interested in transparent oversight of financial transactions.
The secretary expressed hope that the visit of a Ukrainian technical delegation, scheduled for the beginning of the week, would help unblock the process. He emphasized that the potential agreement would be mutually beneficial: “Money would go to both Americans and Ukrainians.”
Bessent also stressed that the deal was a genuine economic partnership, not a predatory agreement:
This wasn’t some Chinese-style predatory contract where you give up mines or a port in exchange for a loan you’ll never be able to repay. Ukraine contributed assets; we provided loans through foreign banks and American know-how. We didn’t make money unless they did.
According to Bessent, the agreement with Ukraine was meant to be part of Donald Trump’s strategic plan in negotiations with Russia.
Trump wanted to sign this deal with Ukraine and then take it to the Russian leadership to show that the U.S. supports Ukraine in an economic, pragmatic way, Bessent explained. He noted that this sequence had been disrupted but could still be restored.
The secretary also indicated that a failure to finalize the deal might lead to an audit of U.S. assistance to Ukraine. Bessent further revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had promised to sign the mineral resources agreement back at the Munich Conference but failed to follow through. Moreover, according to Bessent, the Ukrainian side was “begging” for a visit to the White House — only to ultimately derail the signing of the document.
