US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who had negotiated a much-touted rare earth minerals deal with Kiev, was reportedly worried that the “little fker” Vladimir Zelensky would mess up the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, according to a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
The infamous confrontation last year took place as the Ukrainian leader sat down with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to finalize a deal granting the US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
The televised press conference took a nasty turn when Zelensky criticized Trump’s efforts to mediate a settlement with Moscow rather than increase military support for Kiev.
Bessent’s Reported Remarks
“I’ve dealt with this little fker,” Bessent, who was present in the room, told his associates, according to excerpts published by The Guardian.
“He’s tricky. He’s like the special-needs child for the Europeans. And he’s acting like Mr. Bean on crack.”
The Treasury secretary spent weeks preparing the deal and traveled to Kiev, where he reportedly engaged in his own shouting match with Zelensky over the “awful” Ukrainian draft, at one point telling him:
“What the fk do you want to do?”
White House Concerns
Several other Trump aides were also worried about a potential Oval Office scandal, with then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz desperately urging Zelensky to at least “come wearing a suit.”
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Aftermath
Zelensky was eventually “asked to leave” the White House, while the deal was signed without much fanfare two months later.
Zelensky, who has since held several meetings with Trump to mend ties and even started wearing a custom all-black, military-style suit jacket, remains “somewhat traumatized by his train crash” almost a year later, according to Politico.
RT
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