U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be “careful” about public statements about U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Starlink internet provided by the United States was recently restricted in Ukraine, hampering the war-torn country’s ability to respond to a Russian attack. Ukraine uses Starshield, a military and government-controlled version of the commercial Starlink, to conduct military operations.
In an earlier interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” President Zelensky said he believed the U.S. government was responsible for the economic slowdown and that Ukraine had been “cut off” from U.S. intelligence services for a period of time. Zelenskiy said vehicles and drones linked to StarShield are still subject to speed limits.
Mr. Bessent warned Mr. Zelenskyy about these claims.
“President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (Marco) Rubio have been adamant that no one did anything like that under the Trump administration, and I think it’s very reckless for President Zelenskiy to make such an accusation,” Bessent said on “Meet the Press.”
“President Zelenskiy should be extremely careful about statements like this that are contrary to the facts,” he added.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s high-speed satellite internet space xis important for the defense of Ukraine. Musk himself said in a post on X last week that the U.S. government and President Donald Trump were “ultimately” responsible for the stalling of the military version of Starlink, known as StarShield.
“The StarShield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government,” Musk wrote. “Speed and usage limits are determined by the U.S. military and ultimately determined by the president.”
Reuters reported last week that the White House had ordered technology restrictions, but President Trump denied responsibility for the economic slowdown.
“I don’t know if it was anyone because it wasn’t me and I don’t think it was Elon,” the president said last week. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as always.”
The U.S.-Ukraine relationship has come under intense scrutiny throughout his second term, as President Trump has pushed for a peace deal while frequently making enemies of the war-torn country.
President Trump recently expressed frustration over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries as he faces pressure from voters over soaring gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. President Trump even personally criticized Zelenskiy for rising energy prices, saying: “He’s trying to cause problems in the world. He’s trying to cause problems for our farmers and ranchers with diesel fuel.”
The rise in energy prices is primarily due to the US war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and disrupted oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. The national average for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. on Sunday was nearly $4.30, according to AAA. Diesel was about $6.32 a gallon, down about 20 cents from its all-time high in September.
President Trump is trying to make up for the energy shortage by importing Russian diesel. In a post on Truth Social earlier this month, he said, “Diesel prices for Americans, and indeed the world, will fall by record numbers, and fast!”
Many US lawmakers, including Republicans, have condemned the president’s plan to buy Russian diesel. Congress recently sent President Trump an overwhelmingly bipartisan sanctions package aimed at crippling Russia’s energy industry. President Trump signed the bill into law, but waived portions of it over the weekend, citing national interests in briefings to Congress.
“Beyond irresponsibility. What part of the implementation of the law passed by the Senate 86-11 is not understood by the President and his advisors?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a post on
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