US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that his treasury secretary was treated “rudely” during an official visit to Kyiv, accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of “sleeping” and failing to make a deal.
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent met Zelenskiy in Ukraine’s capital last week to discuss granting Washington access to rare earth minerals in return for security support.
“Scott Bessent actually went there and was treated rather rudely, because essentially, they told him: ‘No,’” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding: “And Zelenskiy was sleeping and unavailable to meet him.”
Photo: Reuters
Bessent “traveled many hours on the train, which is a dangerous trip, and we’re talking about the secretary of the treasury,” Trump said. “He went there to get a document signed, and when he got there, he came back empty. They wouldn’t sign the document.”
The remarks came after Trump branded the Ukrainian president a “dictator” who refuses to hold elections and said the Russians “have the cards” in any negotiation to end the war.
Zelenskiy earlier said that Trump was living in a Russian “disinformation” bubble, responding to comments by the US president about Zelenskiy’s popularity rating.
Trump has criticized US military funding for Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia and suggested this month that he wanted an agreement to access Ukraine’s rare earth material as a condition to sustain support.
Bessent was dispatched to Kyiv on Wednesday last week to discuss the matter, the first member of Trump’s Cabinet to visit Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like to meet with Trump.
“I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results,” Putin said on Wednesday in televised remarks.
He said that he would be “pleased” to meet Trump, but added that Trump has acknowledged that a Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he initially hoped.
Additional reporting by AP
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS