Washington D.C., Nov 01: US president Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky have spoken on phone regularly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But a phone call between the two leaders in June played out differently, a report claimed, as Joe Biden lost his temper when Zelensky asked for more aid.
The American people were being quite generous and the US military was working hard to help Ukraine, Joe Biden told Zelensky, raising his voice, NBC reported.
Joe Biden told Zelensky that the latter could show a little more gratitude, the report further said. The report comes at a time when Joe Biden faces resistance from some Republicans and Democrats with respect to providing aid to Ukraine as he seeks another package for the war-ravaged country. On the phone call, NBC quoted a source as saying, “Biden was direct with Zelensky about handling the issues in the appropriate military channels but that the exchange wasn’t heated or angry.” Following the June phone call, Zelensky's team tried to defuse tensions with Joe Biden and the Ukraine president publicly thanked Joe Biden for the promised aid.
“I had an important conversation with U.S. President Biden today. I am grateful for this support. It is especially important for our defense in Donbas," Zelensky had then said.