Biden says Zelensky 'didn't want to hear' U.S. warnings of invasion

[Polybius]

Source: Washington Post

President Biden said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “didn’t want to hear it” when U.S. intelligence officials raised warnings of a looming Russian attack before the Feb. 24 invasion, according to the Associated Press.

Biden, who along with Congress has deepened U.S. involvement in the global effort to reject the Russian invasion by recently finalizing more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance, spoke at a Democratic fundraising event in Los Angeles on Friday night, according to the AP and Bloomberg News. The president spoke about the American commitment to supporting Ukraine four months into the invasion, saying, “Nothing like this has happened since World War II.”

During his talk, Biden also mentioned that his administration had warned Zelensky and the Ukrainian government, based on U.S. intelligence, before the invasion began.

“I know a lot of people thought I was maybe exaggerating,” the president said, according to the AP.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-says-zelensky-didnt-want-to-hear-us-warnings-of-invasion/ar-AAYlRO9

[COL Mustard]

1. Well, we're in it with them now

Thick or thin, we need to keep arming them. We need to ship them more stuff, and ship it faster. They are in desperate straits now.

[867-5309.]

2. I think Z was hoping against hope it wouldn't happen

and was trying to prevent a panic. Hard to believe he didn't think the threat was very real.

[BootinUp]

11. they had been preparing, for what they called the inevitable

full scale invasion, for years.

[BigmanPigman]

18. With 40 miles of Russian military vehicles lined up

outside Kiev for several weeks should have been a good clue that this was a different ballgame. I think time was wasted by ignoring the obvious build-up for weeks before the invasion. People should have fled certain areas a lot earlier.

[oldsoftie]

3. Massive amounts of armed drones. Anti ship weapons. NOW.

Along with the other hardware

[machoneman]

4. Yet Zelensky I'm sure had the military on full alert. Hey, them Russkies didn't just magically...

...appear on their side of the border now did they? Nope! They spent weeks building up shipments by rail of tanks, APCs, tank truck, command vehicles and more. Heck, even a blind Uke colonel or general could see the massive build up that took weeks, months and huge relocations of supplies, ammunition, POL and more.

That said, I still question their war aims as it seems they are hell bent on wrecking buildings, manufacturing facilities, schools, etc. Yet in doing so and making entire towns virtually uninhabitable, what have they gained? Even driving out a million Ukes still leaves many in huge (by land mass) unoccupied areas. Control of the waterway was and is a prime objective but the utter destruction of cities far away is madness.

[Marthe48]

6. Read that russia destroys totally to win

They did it in Chechnya when they overran that country from 2000 until 2017, when the chechan War was declared over.

[Warpy]

5. Yes and no, the government and military were certainly taking them seriously

One vlogger posted a video of traveling across the border from Poland and reported a lengthy interrogation and inspection of his backpack and video gear because he had some old Russian stamps in his passport. They knew and were acting accordingly.

Why do you think they responded so quickly and effectively against the columns approaching Kyiv?

Biden is wrong about this. I think Zelensky knew, he just didn't want to create a panic. He needn't have worried, even when Russia invaded, nobody panicked, those who had the means to flee did so in an orderly manner. Those who didn't moved supplies into their basements because they knew what was coming their way, and in so many cases, it worked out and they're still living to tell the tale.

I think everybody knew it was a possibility, they just hoped Putin was neither crazy nor stupid. Unfortunately, he seems to be both.

[Raine]

17. I totally agree with you. nt

[Bayard]

7. The same way in our country

People don't want to believe we are headed for theocracy if we continue to allow the current trajectory.

[liberalla]

13. And similar to people refusing to believe Roe is truly at risk? "It'll never be overturned..."

:fingerscrossed:

Hell, I'm still hoping they don't...

[Escurumbele]

8. Zelensky, us and the World could have done without that comment...not sure how that helps anyone

[Bucky]

23. That's Joe being Joe. He often talks about process when sharing his thoughts

I trust his judgment, but he's a sharer. It leads to gaffes.

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. C'mon Joe, is there a reason you needed to share this with the press?

Are you trying to protect yourself from negative media coverage if Ukraine loses this war?

[C Moon]

12. It was at a fund raiser. It wasn't a press conference where he was telling the public and press.

[inwiththenew]

10. Did this really need to be said right now?

I don't doubt that the President is right but couldn't this have waited for a later date. Kind of seems like rubbing salt in the wound.

[BeyondGeography]

27. No, it didn't

eom

[Rebl2]

14. I seem to

remember that. I remember reporters from US over in Ukraine talking to folks about the fact that Russia might soon invade and they didn’t believe it or seemed unconcerned. I wonder now if Ukraine media was saying little or nothing about it on the news.

[MerryHolidays]

15. I cannot tell you how many times Ukaine undercut what the President and others were saying

They accused the US of being alarmist many, many times prior to the actual invasion. Just a few examples:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/28/ukraine-urges-the-west-to-chill-out/

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/18/ukraine-calm-russia-invasion-00010198

https://www.news24.com/news24/world/news/this-is-not-alarmism-us-defends-warnings-in-standoff-with-russia-over-ukraine-20220208

Why did President Biden pick this moment to say what is entirely accurate? No idea, but I trust him more than anyone else in this world on how to handle issues. He has his reasons. That's why I voted for him.

[dalton99a]

26. +1. Zelenskyy even asked Biden to calm down

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/28/ukrainian-president-downplays-imminent-invasion-00003219
Ukrainian president downplays U.S. assessment of imminent invasion
By Quint Forgey
01/28/2022 11:31 AM EST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday publicly downplayed the threat of an imminent Russian invasion, adding to the dissonance between Kyiv and Washington.

His remarks put more daylight between the Ukrainian government and the assessments of U.S. officials, who repeatedly have warned that Moscow could move its troops across the border at any moment.

-----------------

https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-tries-ease-fears-russian-invasion-130000-troops-amass-border-1673993
Ukraine Tries to Ease Fears of Russian Invasion as 130,000 Troops Amass at Border
By Katie Wermus On 1/28/22 at 11:02 AM EST

Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday about the situation with Russia. A senior Ukrainian official told CNN the call "did not go well." The official said Zelenskyy asked Biden to "calm down the messaging" regarding the possibility of war.

According to the Ukrainian official, Biden warned that the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine was virtually certain for February because when the ground freezes, military vehicles can pass easier, CNN reported.

CNN said Zelenskyy, who is trying to prevent panic at home, wants Biden to tone down his rhetoric. Zelenskyy previously responded to a U.S. warning of an imminent invasion by telling citizens to "take a deep breath and stay calm."

[Raine]

16. This shouldn't have been made public

certainly not at this time.

[XorXor]

21. It's not really a secret. The post above yours has some links about what was going on around that

time. Although, I would say that these comments remind people of what was taking place. I haven't thought about that until reading articles about these statements.

[Autumn]

19. I believe Zelensky and the Ukraine didn't need to hear U.S. warning. They were there waiting and

getting ready for the invasion they knew was coming.

[XorXor]

20. This was pretty apparent at the time based on the language Zelenskyy was using.

It seems like so long ago and so much has changed, but I do recall that being a thing. I do wonder how much of a difference it made, though. Hard to imagine there is much Ukraine could have done to change things significantly.

[Oneironaut]

22. Zelensky strikes me as a dope with "strongman" qualities.

I agree with the US support of Ukraine, but, I also see him as a very flawed leader.

[Bucky]

25. I don't think he's a dope. But he IS a bit of a show horse.

That actually works for him. He's very much rising to the occasion and rallying his people effectively. He's a showman by profession; he knows what people like and he had the skills to write and produce a very popular show--it was basically the Ukrainian Northern Exposure, but based on politics instead of small town life.

He knew to denounce corruption when he ran for a real term, but he didn't get very much done about it in the two years before the invasion. So he's a mixed bag. But he's got Churchill's strongest qualities. He's being well advised and he knows how to keep up the pressure on NATO and the EU for more supplies without getting into conflict with western leaders.

[Bucky]

24. In a perverse way, the Ukrainians not being alert helped them out.

Because they were prepared to fight and experienced, but not alert enough to the impending incursions, it meant that the Russians had columns of troops and vehicles deep into Ukraine's territory before the full brunt of the defense could kick in. The Russians far outpaced their supply lines, bogged down (especially around Kyiv), and became sitting targets for defensive reprisals for weeks.

Had the main confrontations happened just inside the borders instead of hundreds of kilometers in, the Russians would have been in tighter fighting formations and would have lost far far fewer forces. They would've been closer to their refuel and supplies and could have maneuvered into better defensive positions. Also the Ukrainian forces would have been closer to Russian air bases as well as missile and artillery platforms.