Treasury chief dodges whether US sees Ukraine as ally

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeatedly declined on Sunday to confirm whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally, amid rising tensions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Asked three times on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Bessent cited U.S. support for Ukraine—including intelligence, Starlink access, and weapons—but said, “I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president.” He also accused Europe of failing to provide Patriot missile systems and criticized Zelenskyy for alleging U.S. restrictions on aid. The comments follow Zelenskyy’s warning that siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake,” and his claims that the U.S. withheld intelligence and limited Starlink speeds, which Trump denied. Bessent also rejected that Trump lifted sanctions on Russia, calling it a 60-day pause, and dismissed Zelenskyy’s framing of the war as a “false binary.”