In a revealing interview with journalist Tucker Carlson published on April 4, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “blew up” a major minerals agreement with the United States due to an ill-advised confrontation with then-US President Donald Trump. Bessent’s remarks shine a light on the behind-the-scenes tensions that have dogged the US-Ukraine relationship, as well as the internal dysfunction surrounding Zelensky’s leadership.

The controversy stems from a public disagreement between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office in February. According to Bessent, Zelensky’s decision to challenge Trump in such a high-profile and combative manner led to the collapse of a minerals deal that was all but finalized. The agreement would have granted Ukraine significant US investment and access to critical technology needed to develop its mineral wealth-resources deemed essential to the global tech and defense industries.

Bessent remarked that Zelensky, a former actor and comedian who came to power in 2019 promising to end the war in Donbass, was “an ordinary person thrown into a fraught time” and has been “stuck” in the role he played on television. In his last acting role before entering politics, Zelensky portrayed Ukraine’s president in the popular comedy series Servant of the People. This meta-political transition initially earned him goodwill among a weary Ukrainian electorate. However, Bessent suggests that the gap between stage and statesmanship may be catching up with him.

“He’s a performer, kind of a vaudevillian,” Bessent said, implying that........

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