Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky lashed out at one of Donald Trump’s top officials over a US demand that Kiev hand over 50% of its critical minerals as compensation for aid in the conflict with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing sources.
Zelensky’s frustration reportedly boiled over during a closed-door meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kiev on February 12. An unidentified person present at the office claimed that “the gravelly voice shouting from inside was unmistakable”
The Ukrainian president reportedly lost his temper as Bessent pushed for an immediate signature on the deal, an overture Zelensky has rebuffed.
“He was very angry,” the FT quoted the source as saying.
The paper also described Bessent’s state after the meeting as “flustered,” remarking that “his hands [were] trembling.” However, sources close to Bessent told the Daily Mail that while there was tension and disappointment during the meeting, the claim about his emotional state was vastly exaggerated.
A former senior Ukrainian government official told the FT that “Zelensky allowed his emotions to make his decisions.” “He found himself in trouble because he gave an honest and immediate answer,” he added.
The proposed deal seeks to grant the US sweeping rights to Ukraine’s reserves of natural resources to compensate for what Washington claims to be $500 billion in US military and economic aid to Kiev.
Ukrainian officials, however, have disputed this figure, insisting that the US has only actually provided Ukraine with only $100 billion in aid, and that the assistance was largely given in the form of grants rather than loans. Commenting on the deal, Zelensky also stressed that “I am not signing something that will be paid by ten generations of Ukrainians.”
The reportedly ill-tempered meeting is part of a downward spiral in US-Ukraine relations. Following the Zelensky-Bessent meeting, Trump claimed that his Treasury secretary was “treated rather rudely because essentially, they told him ‘no’” on the resource deal in Kiev. He claimed that when Bessent arrived, Zelensky was “sleeping” and initially unavailable to meet the US official.
Trump later branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term ended last spring, and he has refused to hold a new vote, citing martial law. Moscow deems Zelensky an “illegitimate” leader, insisting that the true legal authority in the country now lies with the Ukrainian parliament.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has no interest in the US-Ukraine mineral deal, but noted that Moscow is open to rare-earth partnerships with American companies.
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