Steph Deschamps / June 11, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky had not wanted to hear U.S. warnings before the Russian invasion began in February.
I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating, Biden said at a fundraising reception in Los Angeles, referring to his warning about the possibility of a Russian attack.
But I knew we had information to support this assessment of the situation, he added to reporters. Russian President Vladimir Putin was going to cross the border. And there was no doubt about it, and Zelensky, like many other people, did not want to hear it. I understand why they didn't want to hear it, but he (Putin) came in.
The United States had begun warning of Russian preparations for an invasion of Ukraine long before President Putin announced the launch of his special operation against the country on February 24.
The warnings drew disbelief and even veiled criticism from Zelensky and some of Washington's European allies, who felt at the time that the United States was being too alarmist.