This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy “didn’t want to hear” American warnings ahead of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of his country.
“I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating,” Biden said at a fundraising reception in Los Angeles on June 10, referring to his forewarning of the possibility of a Russian attack.
“But I knew we had data to sustain [the assessment],” he added.
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.
“Nothing like this has happened since World War II. I know a lot of people thought I was maybe exaggerating. But I knew we had data to sustain he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) was going to go in, off the border,” he said.
“There was no doubt,” Biden added. “And Zelenskiy didn’t want to hear it.”
The United States began raising the alarm over Russia’s preparations for an invasion of Ukraine well before Putin announced the “special operation” against Russia’s western neighbor on February 24.
