On a phone call earlier this year, President Joe Biden “lost his temper” with President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling the Ukrainian leader that Americans had given generously to the war against Russia as Zelensky urged more support from Washington, according to a new report.
The incident occurred over the summer during a phone call between Biden and Zelensky, one of dozens that have taken place since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Biden “had barely finished telling” Zelensky that the White House would grant Ukraine another $1 billion in U.S. military assistance when Zelensky began asking for more assistance.
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“Biden lost his temper,” four sources familiar with the June call told NBC News. “The American people were being quite generous, and his administration and the U.S. military were working hard to help Ukraine, [Biden] said, raising his voice, and Zelensky could show a little more gratitude.”
A spokesperson for the National Security Council declined to comment on the report.
The account comes as Biden prepares to face new hurdles in securing aid for Ukraine as some Republicans warn that if the party wins control of the House next month, lawmakers will not provide a “blank check” for the war.
The president has argued that support for the fight is essential to European and trans-Atlantic security, telling political donors that the issue “is a lot bigger than Ukraine.”
Yet lawmakers from both parties have begun to question America’s effort to secure a resolution in the war, a fraught issue that has garnered increasing attention in recent weeks.
The United States has continued to support Ukraine, with the Department of Defense announcing its 24th presidential drawdown last week, a military aid package of $275 million.
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The amount provided to Ukraine since Biden took office now totals more than $18.5 billion in security assistance, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Friday.
