Zelensky acted ‘like a crazy person’ – Carlson to US treasury secretary

The Ukrainian leader is reluctant to sign a resource deal with Washington but forgets who is footing Kiev’s bill, the American journalist has said

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky acted like “a crazy person” during talks over a resource deal with the US, particularly given that the country is still afloat in no small part due to Washington’s assistance, American journalist Tucker Carlson has said.

Carlson made the remarks while interviewing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who claimed that Zelensky had on three separate occasions derailed the highly anticipated agreement, which would grant the US access to Ukraine’s vast natural resources.

Bessent recalled that the saga started in early February during his talks with Zelensky in Kiev, adding that the two had had a “spirited discussion” about the deal at the time, which would supposedly usher in a “long-term partnership” between the two countries. However, the Ukrainian leader refused to sign the agreement at that time.

Zelensky then promised to do so at the Munich Security Conference, but he failed to follow through; the signing ceremony was rescheduled to take place during Zelensky’s visit to Washington on February 28, Bessent continued.

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“There was a lot of back-and-forth the following week… Then he got to the Oval Office and blew up what should have been the easiest thing to do in the world…” he said, recalling that everything was ready for the signing ceremony.

Bessent was referring to the quarrel between Zelensky and Donald Trump, during which the US president accused the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude over past military assistance and his reluctance to conclude a ceasefire with Russia.

At this point, Carlson voiced surprise over Zelensky’s behavior, calling him “an unelected president of a client state whose bureaucrats are being paid directly by American taxpayers.” 

He added that he would not expect Zelensky – whom he called a “highly precarious position” – “to assume a high-handed tone with American officials, and berate them, and sniff a lot, and basically act like a crazy person.”

Bessent responded by describing Zelensky as “a performer, kind of a vaudevillian” who was “thrown into a fraught time” and had to rise to the occasion, but got “stuck.” According to the secretary, Zelensky is also likely not always getting the best advice from his team.

Still, Bessent signaled that the US expects a new round of talks with Ukraine within days, adding that “I’m hopeful we can get this thing signed and go back to a win-win situation.” 

Last month, Bloomberg reported that the draft resource deal granted the US a “right of first offer” on Ukrainian infrastructure and resource projects, with local MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak calling the draft “horrifying.” Several senior officials in Kiev told the Financial Times that the agreement could undermine their nation’s sovereignty, divert profits abroad and increase the country’s dependence on Washington.