US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has rejected Vladimir Zelensky’s insistence that his country must defeat Russia, dismissing the demand as a “false binary” and asserting that the ongoing conflict must conclude through a negotiated settlement.
Speaking to NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday, Zelensky argued that total victory over Moscow is essential to preserving Ukraine’s independence, geopolitical alignment, and national identity, warning that his country “will not prevail” if Washington shifts its support.
Shortly after that appearance, Bessent countered the Ukrainian position during an interview on the same network. “Zelensky presents a false binary this morning that Ukraine must win,” Bessent said, emphasizing that the primary objective should be stopping the hostilities rather than deciding a victor. “The war must end, and that will be with some kind of a negotiated settlement.”
Bessent added that Donald Trump has made clear his desire to halt the war, noting that the president’s decisions are aimed at securing a negotiated settlement.
Sanctions and Energy Facility Strikes
The diplomatic friction follows a recent dispute between Washington and Kiev over Western sanctions and Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure. Last week, Trump utilized a national-interest exemption to temporarily suspend measures he had signed into law just a month prior, which included 500% tariffs on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
That policy shift came days after Trump lifted restrictions on Russian diesel exports to ease rising fuel prices. According to US media reports, the restrictions were eased after Zelensky refused to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities—attacks that the president blamed for global fuel shortages and soaring prices at the pump just weeks before the US midterm elections. The adjustments triggered sharp criticism in Kiev, where officials viewed the move as a betrayal of Ukraine’s efforts to maintain Western pressure on Moscow.
Addressing the controversy on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump defended the exemptions, arguing that Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries are driving up prices, while reiterating his focus on brokering a peace deal. He stated that he did not want to “do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” while also claiming that Zelensky does not want to end the conflict.
Diplomatic Outlook and Moscow’s Position
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reinforced that assessment on Sunday, suggesting that Zelensky has “no desire” to reach a settlement because his government would collapse if Ukraine signed a deal that’s acceptable to both the US and Russia. Zelensky’s presidential term expired in 2024, but he has declined to hold new elections under martial law, prompting Moscow to question his legitimacy and leading Trump to suggest that Ukraine should get a new president.
Since returning to office, Trump has revived talks with Russia, yielding limited results such as prisoner-of-war exchanges, though the diplomatic push has been overshadowed by the US war against Iran and has yet to yield a peace deal.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has signaled readiness for diplomacy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated last month that Russia expects to hold trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that any eventual settlement must address the root causes of the conflict, demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Russian territory, protection for Russian-speakers in Ukraine, as well as denazification and neutral, non-nuclear status for Ukraine.
