Biden berates Zelensky for ungratefulness during call in June: NBC

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: NBC News
31 Oct 2022 18:58
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US media outlet reports that US president Biden lashed out at Ukrainian President Zelensky during a phone call last June after the latter dismissed Biden informing him of a new $1 Billion aid to Kiev and proceeded to list new demands he was not receiving.

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, Washington, DC, United States

In a phone call between US President Joe Biden and his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last June, the US leader lashed out at the Ukrainian President for being ungrateful regarding the stream of US aid to Kiev.

In a report published by American media outlet NBC News citing sources familiar with the call, just after Biden informed Zelensky of a new $1 billion military aid approved to be sent to Ukraine during the call, the latter proceeded to barrage the US President with additional demands he needs but was not getting.

Zelensky's reaction to the military aid news sent Biden off the edge, where the American leader berated his Ukrainian counterpart for not showing gratitude as Washington is showing great generosity.

The Ukrainian President proceeded after the tense phone call to release a statement thanking the US for its "generous assistance".

Zelensky asked earlier in the month for $55 billion in aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in order to rebuild Ukrainian critical infrastructure.

However, Biden's reaction indicated that he was expecting overall public and congressional support for Ukraine to fade in the near future, which was later confirmed as his administration now battles bipartisan resistance to new "aid packages" for Kiev that did not previously exist.

The White House has announced ongoing discussions with Congress to approve new funds for Ukraine after the midterm elections. However, the amount is yet to be made public, while some officials informed on the discussions forecast that the new budget might be around $50 billion.

Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that Biden warned Zelensky that it would be difficult to keep asking the US Congress for money if he continued to complain about not receiving enough assistance.

Despite Zelensky's repeated ungrateful remarks, Biden's administration has pledged to support Ukraine in the war for "as long as it takes", increasingly providing Kiev with advanced weapons.

The Post also added that tensions appear to be rising between Washington and Brussels as the United States keeps pushing the European Union to boost economic assistance to Ukraine.

In mid-August, the Ukraine Support Tracker of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported that since the start of the war, Ukraine received more than $82 billion in aid from Western countries.

In a similar context, Fox News, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported on Saturday that the US was close to running out of opportunities to continue delivering military aid to Ukraine, while Washington's concern about a possible confrontation with Russia is growing.

The outlet said the US intends to slow down the delivery of modern weapons to Ukraine, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger air defense systems, and M-777 howitzers.

Vexed with the fact that their tax money is entirely going to Kiev amid record-high inflation and costs of living nearing unbearable levels, some Americans are beginning to openly criticize Ukraine and Zelensky for the lack of restraint when it comes to open US funds.

Earlier this month, Fox News' popular conservative TV host, Tucker Carlson, considered that Zelensky's "Christmas list" of demands for more assistance from the US should be rejected by Congress after the Ukrainian President requested tens of billions of dollars from his Western allies.

Carlson described the Ukrainian President as a "celebrity-endorsed dictator of the most corrupt nation in Europe," adding, "what? Some uppity foreigner in a T-shirt demanding money for his 'critical economic needs'? We have critical economic needs too, buddy. Who are you, troll? Go away!."

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