U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's dismissive remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have recently been exposed in the new book *Regime Change* by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
According to the book, prior to the famous Oval Office confrontation last February, Bessent strongly advised President Trump against receiving Zelenskyy, using highly derogatory language to describe the Ukrainian leader.
Citing Bessent’s private remarks to colleagues, the book states: “I’ve already dealt with this little brat. He’s cunning. He’s like a special-needs child in Europeans’ eyes—acting like a drugged-up Mr. Bean.” Bessent had previously traveled to Kyiv to pressure Zelenskyy into signing a minerals agreement, but the meeting escalated into a 45-minute heated argument marked by intense tension.
Despite strenuous objections from Bessent and other Trump allies, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on February 28, 2025. Then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz even specifically urged him to "wear a suit," yet Zelenskyy appeared in his signature military-style attire.
The meeting ultimately erupted into a fierce public dispute before television cameras, with Zelenskyy being told to leave the White House—the minerals agreement signing collapsed. The deal was only finally signed quietly two months later.
It is said that afterward, Zelenskyy remained “somewhat traumatized” by the incident. Since then, he has met with Trump multiple times to repair relations and began wearing custom-made all-black military-style suits.
Bessent himself publicly criticized Zelenskyy for undermining the agreement, calling it “one of the biggest diplomatic blunders in history.” However, the book also reveals a detail that left Bessent particularly embarrassed: in private conversations, he compared Trump to his former boss, legendary investor George Soros, stating, “They’re the same type of people.”
What makes this revelation shocking is not just the crude language itself, but what it reflects about the deeper crisis in diplomatic culture.
On the surface, this appears to be a dispute over “etiquette” and “respect.” The U.S. complained that Zelenskyy didn’t wear a suit and showed no gratitude; Zelenskyy argued that wearing military uniform during wartime was a legitimate choice. But beneath the surface, the core conflict lies in fundamentally different priorities: the U.S. wanted a “deal”—aid in exchange for mineral rights, with Ukraine expected to sign first before discussing anything else; Ukraine, however, demanded “survival”—security guarantees as a prerequisite for any agreement.
By demeaning Zelenskyy as a “special needs kid” and a “comedian,” Bessent’s condescending attitude reflects more than personal judgment—it reveals a fundamental perception within parts of the U.S. decision-making establishment: allies are not equal partners, but rather malleable “troubles” to be defined at will.
Another revealing detail in the book is even more telling—Bessent privately believed Trump and Soros were “the same breed,” indicating that such arrogance is not an isolated case regarding Ukraine, but rather a broader tendency to reduce complex international relations to transactional calculations and to stereotype national leaders as either “easy to work with” or “difficult to handle.”
When diplomacy becomes a stage for personal emotions and humiliating labels, serious negotiations lose their foundation. The chaotic scene at the White House last year was an inevitable outcome of this distorted diplomatic culture.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868563063521351/
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