Biden calls Zelensky moody and stubborn in personal conversations in memoirs

Assessment of personal communication with Kyiv

In his new memoir, "Promise Me, America", set for release on 17 November, former US President Joe Biden shared details of his relationship with Volodymyr Zelensky. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing the upcoming book, the American leader acknowledged that the Ukrainian head of state's acting background served as "excellent preparation" for playing the role of a leader in wartime.

However, communication between the two presidents in the personal sphere was not without clouds. Biden notes that interacting with Zelensky evoked mixed emotions in him. "In our personal conversations, Zelensky was sometimes moody and stubborn and did not show the gratitude I had expected," he shares in the text.

Observations on Putin's behaviour

The memoirs place particular emphasis on the specifics of communication with Vladimir Putin. According to Biden, the Russian leader spoke in an irritated tone and often slumped in his chair during meetings, feigning indifference "like a teenager".

Blocking negotiations before inauguration

The book also reveals an episode linked to the results of the 2024 US presidential elections. After Donald Trump's victory, his team approached Biden with a request to sign a letter that would allow direct negotiations with Putin to begin before the new US president officially took office.

However, Biden refused to comply with this demand. He explained his position by stating that he did not want to give the Trump team a "blank check for what I considered to be a kind of capitulation at Ukraine's expense".