Olga Koval22:43, 20.06.26

Bessent called the Ukrainian leader a “little freak,” a “special needs kid,” and “Mr. Bean on drugs,” according to his book, “Regime Change.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly tried to persuade Donald Trump not to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

Bessent called the Ukrainian leader a “little freak,” a “special needs kid,” and “Mr. Bean on drugs,” according to the book “Regime Change,” written by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, The Guardian reports .

According to the authors, before Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, some of Trump’s inner circle feared that the negotiations could end in conflict. In particular, then-National Security Advisor Mike Walz tried to convey to the Ukrainian president his desire to attend the meeting in a business suit.

The book claims that Bessent opposed holding negotiations before the signing of the Ukrainian minerals agreement. The authors also cite his allegedly harsh remarks about Zelenskyy during a meeting with colleagues.

Despite the warnings, the White House meeting took place on February 28, 2025. It ended in a heated argument, during which Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance accused Zelensky of not being grateful enough for American support and criticized his behavior.

As the authors note, tensions began to mount after the Ukrainian president insisted on security guarantees. This irritated some in the United States.

Following the failed negotiations, Bessent told Bloomberg that Zelenskyy had made a serious diplomatic error. He also expressed surprise at the Ukrainian leader’s behavior during the Oval Office meeting.

The book also describes Bessent’s previous visit to Kyiv, where he attempted to persuade the Ukrainian side to sign a mineral resource agreement. According to the authors, the negotiations were tense and characterized by heated exchanges between the parties.

It is also noted that the document’s preparation was delayed due to disputes between Bessent and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the agreement’s wording. Ultimately, according to journalists, Donald Trump asked J.D. Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, to review the Ukrainian amendments to the document, after which the text was significantly edited.

The authors also claim that in private conversations, Bessent compared Trump to his former employer, renowned investor George Soros. According to them, the Treasury Secretary allegedly believed the two influential figures had much in common.

(C)UNIAN 2026