U.S. Treasury Secretary dodges Ukraine ally question three times, calls Zelensky claim 'irresponsible'

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's claim that the U.S. government interfered with Ukraine's "Star Shield" connection as "extremely irresponsible" during a Sunday NBC interview. Bessent said President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio firmly denied any such action. He also avoided directly answering whether Ukraine is a U.S. ally, deflecting three times before stating he is not the Secretary of State. The remarks follow tensions over Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil facilities, U.S. restrictions on military intelligence sharing, and tariff exemptions for Russian energy imports, which Bessent defended by criticizing European nations' continued purchases.