On 12 February, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who arrived in Kyiv on a visit to Ukraine.

“This visit confirms the intention of President Trump’s administration to develop pragmatic and mutually beneficial relations between our countries. Secretary Bessent reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to further support Ukraine,” the Head of Ukrainian Government noted.

The parties discussed the prospects of economic cooperation between the two countries and the issues of reconstruction.

“The United States is interested in a peaceful and strong Ukraine and is particularly ready to help accelerate the restoration of our country,” said Denys Shmyhal.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of tightening sanctions, in particular against russia’s rosatom and nuclear industry: “This is an effective means for weakening the aggressor’s ‘war machine’ and forcing the enemy to peace.”

Denys Shmyhal stressed the need to disconnect all russian banks from the SWIFT system and step up efforts to combat the russian “shadow fleet”, as well as the need to impose tough sanctions on the entire oil and gas sector of russia.

“It is also important to confiscate the frozen russian assets and channel these funds to restore Ukraine,” he said.

The Prime Minister also thanked the United States for its unwavering support for Ukraine.