‘Zelenskyy didn’t want to hear it’: Biden says Ukraine leader rejected US intelligence on Russian invasion

US President Joe Biden, speaking to donors at a Democratic fundraiser Los Angeles, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “didn’t want to hear it” when US intelligence gathered information that Russia was preparing to invade.
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” — meaning Russian President Vladimir Putin — “was going to go in, off the border.”
“There was no doubt,” Biden said. “And Zelenskyy didn’t want to hear it.”Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Although Zelenskyy has inspired people with his leadership during the war, his preparation for the invasion — or lack thereof — has remained a controversial issue.

З Днем вишиванки, Україно! 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/Lw2zyaQQaM
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2022
In the weeks before the war began on February 24, Zelenskyy publicly brled as Biden adminration officials repeatedly warned that a Russian invasion was highly likely.
At the time, Zelenskyy was also concerned that the drumbeat of war was unsettling Ukraine’s fragile economy.