It’s being reported this morning that Ukrainian President Zelensky told Biden in his phone call yesterday to tone it down with all of his imminent invasion talk regarding the potential Russian invasion:
DAILY MAIL – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday urged President Joe Biden in a call on Thursday to tone down his rhetoric about the brewing situation between Ukraine and Russia, amid fears it could cause panic or a run on supplies, according to a report.
Zelensky made the plea in a call that ‘did not go well,’ CNN reported, citing a Ukrainian source. It included a plea by Zelensky for Biden to ‘calm down the messaging’ amid complex maneuverings over the potential invasion.
The urging came in a call where Biden told Zelensky Russia could invade within weeks.
It followed pushback earlier this week from Ukraine as the U.S. told family members of American diplomats to leave. Ukrainian officials maintained the move was unnecessary with a situation that is still uncertain, even as Russia continues to move troops and equipment to positions around Ukraine.
The White House disputed reporting by CNN that Biden had told Zelensky to “prepare for impact”, that the Russian invasion was nearly imminent:
The White House disputed the read on the call, with National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne pushing back on a report that a Ukrainian official said Biden warned Kiev could be ‘sacked’ and to ‘prepare for impact.’
‘This is not true,’ she tweeted. ‘President Biden said that there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February. He has previously said this publicly & we have been warning about this for months. Reports of anything more or different than that are completely false.’
She also tweeted out a statement by Ukraine’s U.S. embassy stating ‘that some reports regarding today’s conversation of President Zelenskyy and President Biden are completely false. He also encouraged to carefully treat all information in this troubled time especially from the unconfirmed sources.’
Horne was even more blunt in a statement to CNN. ‘Also, no one said “sacked.” The only person who should be “sacked” is the anonymous source who is circulating an inaccurate portrayal of this conversation,’ she said.
The statement the White put out after the call said the U.S. and allies were ready to ‘respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.’
Whatever the case with the phone call, one thing is for sure. Zelensky is clearly trying to reassure both Ukrainians and the world that this ‘invasion’ is still uncertain and there’s no need for panic:
The administration’s series of public statements about a potential invasion puts international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and could press allies to stiffen their response – although the Ukrainians are seeking to avoid statements that contribute to panic – even as they seek additional aid and arms support.
Amid the fear of an all-out invasion that could seek to cleave Ukrainian positions, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. response in writing to Russia’s security demands had ‘some grains of reason.’
Zelensky on January 19th urged the Ukrainian public not to panic, telling his countrymen: ‘Take a deep breath, calm down’ amid the talk of an imminent invasion.
If Russia did invade in February, it would time the invasion to coincide with the coldest weeks in eastern Europe, when the ground will be frozen solid allowing tanks and artillery to maneuver easily. US officials have previously said that an unseasonably mild winter appears to have delayed Putin’s attack plans by turning the region into a quagmire.
This morning Zelensky met with foreign press, telling them that the situation in Ukraine isn’t nearly as dire as they are reporting:
Ukrainian President Zelensky meeting with foreign media now. He says regarding the Russian threat and call with Biden yesterday, “I’m the president of Ukraine and I’m based here and I think I know the details better here.” pic.twitter.com/GEFgxa6VEv
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2022
Zelensky on talks with Biden and Russian threat assessment: It’s important that the president should know the situation from me, not intermediaries. He knows the situation from me personally. We’ll have another conversation in a couple weeks.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2022
Zelensky: It’s important not to get information based on intelligence gathering. It’s important to be here.
I don’t think the situation is more intense than in 2014.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2022
Zelensky: Do we have tanks on the streets? No. When you read media, you get the image that we have troops in the city, people fleeing…That’s not the case. But I’m not saying escalation is excluded. Escalation already happened. Part of our country is already temporarily occupied
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2022
Zelensky on the Russian threat getting closer to what the US is saying. But his point is that the threat has been here since 2014. “The threat is imminent. The threat is constant.”
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2022