President Joe Biden seemed to criticize Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Democratic fundraiser, telling donors Zelenskyy “didn’t want to hear” U.S. warnings about the looming Russian invasion.
President Joe Biden told donors at a Democratic fundraiser on Friday that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was reluctant to believe U.S. intelligence that indicated Russia would invade. “I know a lot of people thought I was maybe exaggerating,” Biden reportedly said about his warnings regarding Russia’s plans. “But I knew we had data to sustain [Vladimir Putin] was going to go in,” he added, “There was no doubt, and Zelenskyy didn’t want to hear it.”
The Associated Press reports that “the remarks came as Biden was talking about his work to rally and solidify support for Ukraine as the war continues into its fourth month.” If so, highlighting how Ukraine’s president (and current wartime leader) was caught flat-footed might not have been the best way to do that.
