Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the White House’s track record on Russia during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” rejecting suggestions that the administration is softening its stance toward Moscow or slowing down military aid to Ukraine.
Speaking with moderator Kristen Welker, Bessent addressed questions regarding Russian sanctions, intelligence sharing, and public comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During the broadcast, Welker brought up past comments from Bessent’s January 2025 confirmation hearing, where he called the war in Ukraine a major tragedy and argued that the Biden administration’s initial sanctions were “not fulsome enough” due to domestic energy price concerns. Welker asked if President Donald Trump was now doing something similar.
Bessent said the Trump administration maintained tough penalties, pointing to restrictions on Russian energy giants.
“First of all, Kristen, the sanctions were doubled. The Biden administration, in an act of incredible bravery, doubled the sanctions on the way out, in January of 2025. But we did not take those down,” Bessent said. “President Trump sanctioned the two largest Russian energy companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, which dealt a catastrophic blow to the Russian energy industry. So no one has been tougher on Russian sanctions than President Trump.”
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