Exclusive — Secretary Scott Bessent on Russia-Ukraine War: U.S. Stepping in Under Trump, ‘If You Don’t Talk, You Can’t Stop It’

Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent
Matthew Perdie / Breitbart News

The United States under the Trump administration is stepping into the Russia-Ukraine war because “Europeans don’t want to engage,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a Breitbart News event.

While speaking with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle and Breitbart News Finance and Economics Editor John Carney, Bessent was asked if he thought there was “a deal in the offing to end the war in Ukraine.” The question comes after President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow, Russia and Kyiv, Ukraine.

Bessent expressed that the Trump administration “thought it was important” to have the Russian delegation at the G20 Summit and questioned how they would “solve this horrendous war” if they aren’t going to talk.

“If you’re not going to talk, how are you going to solve this horrendous war?” Bessent said. “Look, the Russians, what the Russians are doing to Ukraine is one of the worst things I’ve seen in my lifetime. But, if you don’t talk, you can’t stop it.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going to come from these talks, but what I do know is that if we go to trilateral talks, the U.S. is in the middle because the Europeans don’t want to engage,” Bessent continued.

Bessent made his comments as Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Russia on Saturday to engage in peace talks.

In June, during the G7 Summit, Trump called for Russia to “make a deal,” stating that they’ve “lost tremendous amounts of people.”

“Look, Russia should make a deal,” Trump said. “Russia’s lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine. Last month they lost 35,000 soldiers between the two of them.”

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