Trump says sending US Treasury chief to Ukraine

Washington: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be visiting Ukraine to meet the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Tuesday.

War between Russia and Ukraine "must and will end soon," Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that there has been "too much death and destruction."

But he did not specify when Bessent's trip would take place, or for how long. The Treasury Department did not respond to queries on the matter.


Trump has pushed for an end to the nearly three-year war, but he has also emphasized reaping a return on investment with US aid to Ukraine in an earlier interview with broadcaster Fox News.

The US president has suggested a trade for Kyiv's natural resources, such as rare minerals.

While Trump is pressing for a swift end to the conflict, Zelensky is calling for tough security guarantees from Washington as part of any deal with Russia.

On Monday, Trump emphasized on his social media post that Washington has spent billions globally "with little to show."

For now, Trump has confirmed Monday that he will soon dispatch to Ukraine his special envoy Keith Kellogg, who is tasked with drawing up a proposal to halt fighting.

Kyiv, however, fears that any settlement that does not include hard military commitments, such as NATO membership or the deployment of peacekeeping troops, will just allow the Kremlin time to regroup and rearm for a fresh attack.