The US Treasury secretary has defended Donald Trump’s push for an agreement with Ukraine to develop its natural resources and critical minerals, saying the plan would fuel postwar growth in the country and did not involve any coercive economic pressure.
Scott Bessent’s comments in an op-ed for the Financial Times come as Trump administration officials are trying to clinch what they claim is an economic partnership with Kyiv as part of their broader diplomatic push to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have so far rejected US demands for such an agreement, but US officials are applying intense pressure on Kyiv in their push for a deal.