US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in highly offensive terms and advised Donald Trump not to welcome him to the White House before signing an agreement on Ukraine’s mineral resources, according to a new book dedicated to the Republican leader’s second term.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. PHOTO: X
The revelations appear in the volume “Regime Change”, signed by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan of The New York Times, which is to be published on Tuesday and from which The Guardian presented excerpts, notes The Guardian.
According to the authors, several Trump aides feared that Zelenskiy’s visit to the White House on February 28, 2025, could turn into a diplomatic conflict.
“Several Trump advisers were concerned about the possibility of a crisis when Zelenskiy was to come to the White House,” the authors note. Before the meeting, former national security adviser Mike Waltz reportedly tried unsuccessfully to convey to the Ukrainian team that Zelenskiy should wear a suit.
At the same time, Bessent would have strongly advised Trump not to allow the Ukrainian leader access to the White House until he signed the agreement on the exploitation of mineral resources.
The book alleges that the Treasury secretary frequently used harsh language toward Zelenskiy in private discussions.
“I dealt with this little bastard,” Bessent would have told his close associates about the Kiev leader.
“He’s sly. He’s like a special needs child to Europeans. And he acts like a drugged up Mr. Bean.” the American official would have added, according to the authors.
Zelenskiy was eventually welcomed to the White House, but the meeting quickly turned into a tense exchange of words.
Haberman and Swan write that Vice President JD Vance became increasingly irritated as the Ukrainian leader insisted on the need for security guarantees from the United States.
“Bystanders could see that Vance was gradually turning red”the authors note, adding that Zelensky’s requests were perceived by the vice president as disrespect and ingratitude.
After the meeting, Bessent publicly criticized the behavior of the Ukrainian president.
“I was shocked, shocked that President Zelenski walked into the Oval Office, behaved like this, spoke to the president and the vice president in this way, and more importantly, showed disrespect for the American people”Bessent told Bloomberg at the time.
The book also describes an earlier confrontation between the two leaders during a visit by Bessent to Kiev when he was trying to get the minerals deal signed.
According to the authors, the discussion would have degenerated into a fight that lasted about 45 minutes.
“For 45 minutes, the two reproached each other for various things. Bessent had only been in office for a few days and had already ended up arguing with the leader of a country at war.” write Haberman and Swan.
At one point, the American official reportedly said to Zelenskiy, “What the hell do you want to do?”
Negotiations on the minerals deal were also reportedly complicated by differences between Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the wording of the document.
The authors claim that Donald Trump eventually asked Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance and a graduate of Yale Law School, to review the changes proposed by the Ukrainian side.
According to the book, it would have cataloged the document as “terrible” and would have substantially intervened on the text.
The volume also contains a statement that could put the Secretary of the Treasury in a delicate situation in relation to Donald Trump.
According to the authors, Bessent allegedly told people close to him that Trump reminded him of his former boss, billionaire investor George Soros, one of the most frequently criticized figures in American conservative circles.
“They are the same animal,” Bessent allegedly said of Trump and Soros, according to the account in the book.
So far, the US Treasury Department has not publicly commented on the information presented in the volume to be released next week.
