US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has sharply criticised the European Union’s newly concluded Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, accusing Europe of prioritising commercial interests over its stated support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Speaking to CNBC, Bessent said the deal reflected a “disappointing” stance by European leaders at a time when they continue to stress solidarity with Ukraine. While acknowledging Europe’s right to act in its own economic interests, he questioned the consistency of its position on the conflict.
His remarks came a day after the EU and India finalised the long-pending trade pact, aimed at boosting bilateral trade and reducing Europe’s dependence on the US in an increasingly fragmented global trade environment.
Bessent said the India–EU agreement also explained why Brussels had declined to align with Washington’s decision to impose higher tariffs on India last year.
“The Europeans were unwilling to join us because they wanted to do this trade deal,” he said. “Every time you hear a European talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember that they put trade ahead of the Ukrainian people.”
The US had imposed steeper tariffs on India citing concerns over its continued purchases of Russian crude oil following the invasion of Ukraine.
Bessent went further, accusing European countries of indirectly financing Russia’s war effort through their energy purchases. He said Russian crude oil is shipped to India, refined into petroleum products, and then exported to Europe.
“The Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products,” he said. “They are financing the war against themselves.”
He noted that he had raised similar concerns even before the trade agreement was formally concluded. In an earlier interview with ABC News, Bessent had highlighted what he described as a contradiction between Europe’s political messaging on Ukraine and its trade actions.
Bessent’s comments underline rising tensions between the US and Europe on trade and geopolitics. Relations have already been strained in recent months following tariff threats by Trump on certain European imports, although some of those measures were later rolled back.
The treasury secretary argued that Washington had taken tougher steps than Europe to pressure Moscow. He said the US had made greater economic sacrifices in its efforts to push for a settlement to the Russia–Ukraine conflict.