US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused European countries of continuing to finance Russia’s war effort through energy purchases, arguing that the United States should not bear the burden of pressuring Moscow alone.
Speaking to Kristen Welker, Bessent said European countries had given Russia and President Vladimir Putin more money than they had provided to Ukraine. He also criticised European allies for refusing to join US efforts to impose secondary tariffs on China and India in the spring.
“The Europeans are financing the Russian war machine,” Bessent said.
Bessent said the United States imports $4 billion worth of Russian products, including $1.8 billion in fertiliser, while European countries import more than ten times that amount.
Bessent Defends Trump’s Russia Sanctions
Bessent defended President Donald Trump’s sanctions policy, saying the administration had taken strong action against Russia’s energy industry by sanctioning the two largest Russian energy companies. He described the move as a “catastrophic blow” to the industry.
Responding to questions about sanctions relief, Bessent denied that any sanctions had been lifted on Friday. He said the only measure lifted was the diesel embargo and referred to a 60-day period in the context of the measures under discussion.
He also highlighted the UK’s decision in May to waive its embargo on diesel and jet fuel made with Russian crude, questioning why other countries were not facing similar criticism.
Bessent Challenges Zelensky’s Claims
Bessent rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that intelligence sharing had been interrupted, calling the allegation untrue.
He denied that the Trump administration was siding with Russia, citing US intelligence support, Starlink access and arrangements allowing NATO members to purchase US weapons and resell them to Ukraine.
When asked whether the United States considered Ukraine an ally, Bessent said he was not the president.
He also questioned why European NATO members, including Germany, were not providing more Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. On Zelensky’s claim that the US administration ordered Starlink restrictions, Bessent said Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had denied that anyone in the administration had done so.
Q1. What did Scott Bessent say about Europe and Russia?
Bessent accused European countries of continuing to finance Russia’s war effort through energy purchases.
Q2. How much does the US import from Russia, according to Bessent?
Bessent said the United States imports $4 billion worth of Russian products, including $1.8 billion in fertiliser.
Q3. What did Bessent say about Trump’s Russia sanctions?
He defended sanctions against Russia’s two largest energy companies, describing the action as a major blow to Russia’s energy industry.
Q4. Did Bessent confirm that US sanctions on Russia were lifted?
No. He denied that sanctions were lifted on Friday and said the only measure lifted was the diesel embargo.
Q5. What did Bessent say about US support for Ukraine?
He cited intelligence support, Starlink access and US weapons supplied through NATO arrangements, while rejecting Zelensky’s claims about intelligence sharing and Starlink restrictions.
