The book "Regime Change" by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, among other things, describes the relationship between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Details are provided by The Guardian.
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Bessent advised Donald Trump not to receive Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, calling the Ukrainian president "that little bastard," "a special needs child," and "Mr. Bean on crack," according to the new book.
The circumstances of Zelenskyy and Trump's meeting on February 28, 2025, at the White House are described.
Several Trump aides "were worried" about a potential "explosion" if Zelenskyy came to the White House, ostensibly to finalize a mineral resources agreement developed by Bessent, the book states. Then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz "tried — unsuccessfully — to convey the idea that Zelenskyy should come in a suit." Bessent strongly recommended that Trump not even allow Zelenskyy into the White House until he signed the agreement.
"I've dealt with that little bastard," Bessent told colleagues about Zelenskyy, according to the book. "He's cunning. He's like a special needs child to the Europeans. And he acts like Mr. Bean on crack."
Zelenskyy arrived nonetheless, and Bessent was in the room when Vance interrogated the guest. "Others present saw Vance slowly turn red," Haberman and Swan write, as Zelenskyy's persistence in demanding security guarantees "began to strike Vance as audacious and ungrateful."
"Regime Change" also contains alleged details of Bessent's failed actions regarding the mineral resources agreement. Before the Oval Office fiasco, the Treasury Secretary visited Kyiv to force Zelenskyy to sign the document. It went poorly.
"For 45 minutes, the men showered each other with reproaches," the book states. "Bessent had been in his position for only a few days and was already embroiled in a high-pitched argument with the leader of a country at war. Finally, he looked at Zelenskyy and said, 'What the f*** do you want to do?'"
Reportedly, negotiations stalled as Bessent struggled with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over how the agreement should be formulated. Eventually, the book states, "Trump asked JD Vance's wife, Usha, also a Yale Law School graduate, to review the Ukrainian amendments to the mineral agreement. She called the document 'horrendous' and seriously rewrote it in pencil."
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Здаецца мне, Зяленскі моцна ўразіў Бесэнта!)
А вось В.А.Зяленскі афіцыйна у маіх каментах не )))