Bessent defends Russia sanctions waiver, sidesteps question on Ukraine alliance

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump’s Russia sanctions waiver on Sunday, October 18, as Washington and Kyiv disputed its effect on the war in Ukraine. Bessent challenged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s criticism and did not directly answer when asked whether Ukraine remained a US ally, The National reported.

The exchange adds to the dispute over Trump’s October 16 executive order, which waived key Russia-related sanctions and tariffs before they were due to take effect. Trump said he had certified to Congress that the waiver was in the US national interest, according to CNBC. Zelenskyy argued that the decision would help Russia continue attacking Ukraine, Reuters reported.

What Bessent said about the waiver and Ukraine

Responding to Zelenskyy, Bessent said the Ukrainian president ‘should be very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.’ When pressed on whether Ukraine was still a US ally, he said, ‘I’m not the Secretary of State. I’m not the President.’ He did not give a direct answer to that question, The National reported.

Bessent also said the US continued to support Ukraine by providing intelligence and Starlink service, and by allowing NATO to buy US weapons for resale to Ukraine. He said Trump wanted the war to end through a negotiated settlement. His list of continuing support came alongside his refusal to define the alliance in response to reporters’ questions.

Why the Russia sanctions waiver drew criticism

Zelenskyy called the waiver ‘wrong’ in a Saturday post on X and said it ‘definitely helps only the Russians,’ Reuters reported. The Associated Press reported that he urged supporters to speak out in favor of the sanctions after Trump signed the order. His objection concerned the pressure the planned measures were meant to place on Moscow during its war against Ukraine.

The National reported that Trump had said Russia would send 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes afterward. The Kremlin said on October 15 that Russian diesel had begun reaching global markets after its agreement with Trump; independently confirmed delivery volumes were not established in that report.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright rejected the suggestion that the waiver gave Russia an ‘economic lifeline,’ telling ABC that critics were wrong, according to The National. His defense and Bessent’s comments followed Zelenskyy’s criticism, leaving the administration’s stated case for the pause in direct conflict with Ukraine’s assessment of its effects.