Biden says Zelenskyy 'didn't want to hear' US information about Russia's invasion plans

US President Joe Biden on Friday said that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy “did not want to hear it” when American intelligence shared information on a potential Russian invasion of his country. Galvanising support for the war-torn country, the American leader, while speaking to donors at a Democratic fundraiser, affirmed that nothing like the ongoing conflict has happened since the second world war. “I know a lot of people thought I was maybe exaggerating. But I knew we had data to sustain he” — meaning Russian President Vladimir Putin — “was going to go in, off the border.”

It has been 108 days since Russia launched its ‘Special Military Operation’ on Ukraine and since then has turned it into a war of attrition. Zelenskyy has, although emerged as a voracious and valiant leader, his preparedness for the war has reportedly been questioned. Speaking about the same, Biden said, “There was no doubt (about the war). “And Zelenskyy didn’t want to hear it.”

Did Kyiv foresee the war?

Interestingly, Kyiv had foreseen a potential Russian invasion back in December. Substantiated by intelligence, the defence minister of the country Oleksii Reznikov had touted that Putin might attempt to take over certain Ukrainian territories in January this year. His stance was not only reiterated by President Zelenskyy but also backed by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who warned the international community against Moscow’s “unclear intentions.” 

“There is no certainty, no clarity about exactly what are the Russian intentions, and they may evolve and change,” the NATO chief said. “They’ve done it before,” he had added, referring to the Russian Federation’s takeover of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. 

Zelenskyy emerges as war hero

It was not even three years after Zelenskyy was elected as Ukrainian President when his Russian counterpart launched a full-fledged military operation on his country. However, the former comedian with no prior political experience decided to not surrender. Since Russia launched invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Zelenskyy has been galvanising support for his country, giving speeches and making virtual appearances on almost every platform of the world.   

(With AP inputs)

(Image: AP)