Zelensky Airs His Grievances With Outgoing Biden Administration

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday expressed some frustrations he had with U.S. President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration regarding military support for Kyiv.

During a visit to Warsaw, Zelensky sat for a discussion with members of the Polish media. He offered praise for Biden but also took exception tp the American leader not arming Ukraine before Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

Why It Matters

Under Biden’s leadership, the U.S. has been the biggest supporter of Ukraine in its defense against invading Russians. Since Russia started the war nearly three years ago, the U.S. has committed billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv.

While defense officials said there are ongoing discussions with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team to ensure continuity in addressing critical issues related to Ukraine, it is unclear how much military aid Trump will give to Kyiv.

Trump, who has criticized the amount of aid the Biden administration has provided Ukraine, has said that if he were at the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, the war between the two nations would end “within 24 hours,” leading to concerns that he would press Zelensky to surrender the territory that Russia currently occupies.

Joe Biden with Volodymyr Zelensky — President Joe Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the South Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 21, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty…

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

What To Know

Speaking to Polish media, Zelensky spoke highly of the Biden administration for providing Kyiv with crucial weapons, targeting Russia with financial sanctions and giving political support to Ukraine.

However, while he expressed gratitude to Biden, Zelensky also questioned some decisions made by the American president’s administration.

The Ukrainian leader specifically spoke about the lack of “preventive action before the invasion.”

“We asked for both weapons and sanctions, but America responded, ‘If something happens, we will act’…To me, that seemed like a weak position,” Zelensky said, according to an English translation of the interview by the Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

He continued by saying he “never will understand” why Ukraine hasn’t been provided with more air defense systems, specifically mentioning U.S.-made Patriot systems.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email on Thursday for comment.

What People Are Saying

According to a translation by Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky said to members of the Polish media: “Why couldn’t we have been equipped with Patriot systems from the U.S.—especially since most of them are there? It’s hard for me to understand. Maybe there’s something I don’t know. But what I do know for certain is that, unfortunately, people are dying.”

Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt previously told Newsweek: “President Trump has repeatedly stated that a top priority in his second term will be to quickly negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war. Also, President Trump believes European nations should meet their NATO defense spending obligations and step up their share of the burden for this conflict, as the U.S. has paid significantly more, which is not fair to our taxpayers. He will do what is necessary to restore peace and rebuild American strength and deterrence on the world stage.”