A one thousand Argentine peso bill sits on top of several one hundred U.S. dollar bills in this illustration picture taken October 17, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/Illustration

(Reuters) -The United States purchased Argentine pesos and finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework with Argentina's central bank after a meeting between the two countries' top finance officials in Washington this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday.

"The U.S. Treasury is prepared, immediately, to take whatever exceptional measures are warranted to provide stability to markets," Bessent said in a post on X.

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Chris Reese)