Bessent tells Europe to 'put up or shut up' on Ukraine ahead of summit

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said that the European leaders who have vocally criticized the prospect of President Donald Trump making a deal with Russia needed to cooperate with the U.S. on its strategy to pressure Moscow.

"It is time for our European counterparts to put up or shut up.  They keep saying 'oh, the U.S. should do this, the U.S. should do that.' President Donald has put secondary tariffs on India because of their consumption of Russian oil and the Europeans haven't done that yet," he said on Fox Business. "As a matter of fact, the Europeans are buying the refined product that the Indian refiners make. So, we need some coordination here."

"If we want to have a united front that will give President Trump maximum leverage, then I think our European partners must do their part," he went on.

Bessent is slated to attend the Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The tariffs matter comes as Trump also hopes to negotiate a trade agreement with India, a crucial market for the Russian economy. The president has imposed tariffs on India due to its economic cooperation with Moscow, but thus far, New Delhi has declined to change course.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.