Treasury secretary refuses to say if the U.S. sees Ukraine as an ally

Amid escalating tensions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday dodged three times when asked whether Ukraine is an ally of the United States.

“We provide the three different things … to Ukraine, so that’s what you do for an ally. We’re not providing those to Russia,” Bessent told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” the second time he was asked whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally.

Asked for a third time, the treasury secretary simply said, “I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president.”

Earlier, Bessent said the U.S. supports Ukraine in three keys ways, including providing intelligence, Starlink support and allowing NATO to purchases U.S. weapons to resell to Ukraine.

He then accused Europe of falling short in its support for Ukraine, saying: “When President Zelenskyy asked for Patriots [missile systems], NATO — the European members of NATO — they have plenty of Patriots. Why aren’t they forthcoming with the Patriots?”

Bessent’s comments came shortly after Zelenskyy appeared on the program and told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that it would be a “historic mistake” for the U.S. to side with Russia in the ongoing war.

The…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business