Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Thursday that he and American President Joe Biden did not have “good contact” until after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had already begun.
Zelenskyy was asked what his conversations had been like with the White House throughout the conflict, which has seen reports of thousands of casualties and Russian bombing of civilian areas in Ukraine’s largest cities. He said he and Biden had “good contact” and he was thankful for the American president and his team, but that it hadn’t begun in earnest until it was too late.
Zelensky: “We have good contact. I can tell you the truth. It’s a pity it began after the beginning of this war, but we have it. My appreciation to him and to his team.” pic.twitter.com/EK73dtNMh1
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 3, 2022
“We have good contact. I can tell you the truth. It’s a pity it began after the beginning of this war, but we have it. My appreciation to him and to his team.” (RELATED: Zelenskyy: ‘We Are A Nation That Broke The Enemy’s Plans In A Week’)
Zelenskyy has called on the United States and other western nations to do more to assist his country in its fight against Russian aggressors, including the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukrainian airspace. The Biden administration has taken a lead along with the European Union in crafting sanctions against Moscow, but so far the invasion has continued.
In the leadup to the invasion, the White House repeatedly warned that an attack is imminent, but did not take major deterrent steps to stop the war until after it had already begun. At a press briefing last week, State Department spokesman Ned Price defended the strategy of holding off on sanctions, including on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, saying it gave the Biden administration more leverage than if sanctions were already in place prior to the fight beginning.