Treasury secretary refuses to say if the U.S. sees Ukraine as an ally

Amid escalating tensions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday dodged three times when asked whether Ukraine is an ally of the United States.

“We provide the three different things ... to Ukraine, so that’s what you do for an ally. We’re not providing those to Russia,” Bessent told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” the second time he was asked whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally.

Asked for a third time, the treasury secretary simply said, “I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president.”