Mr. Zelensky revealed the reason for not warning people about Russia's attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had downplayed the possibility of a Russian attack to prevent a financial panic that he said would quickly drive Ukraine into the Kremlin's hands.
According to President Zelensky, he must act in a balanced and cautious manner in the face of a Russian attack. The Ukrainian leader's comments reveal why President Zelensky publicly rejected the comments of US officials who correctly predicted the Russian attack.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin built up forces with about 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine in January, President Joe Biden and US officials raised warnings that Russia would launch an attack.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Getty |
Heavily dependent on Western military support, Mr. Zelensky has sought to maintain relations with the United States, but also said that American warnings about a Russian attack were "exaggerated."
"I am the President of Ukraine and I think I understand the specific situation here better," Mr. Zelensky commented at a press conference in February.
Mr Zelensky said the threat of war would mean "panic in the markets and the financial sector. How much would our country pay then?"
Telling the Ukrainian public that they need to prepare food and money for war would mean a quick victory for Russia, Mr. Zelensky told the Washington Post.
"It is not enough to simply say that we need to prepare the people at that moment by telling them to stockpile money and food for war. If we had said that, which is what some people want but I will not name them here, we could have lost $7 billion a month since October last year and by the time Russia launched its attack, they would have taken over the country in just three days."
