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Former President Joe Biden described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as difficult in private and insufficiently grateful in a forthcoming memoir reviewed Friday by The Wall Street Journal, adding his assessment to a relationship President Donald Trump has also publicly criticized.
Zelenskyy "could be moody and stubborn in our private conversations, and not as grateful as I would have expected," Biden said in "Promise Me, America," according to the newspaper.
Zelenskyy previously addressed questions about his gratitude during a February 2025 interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on "Special Report," following his Oval Office clash with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. When Baier asked whether he owed Trump an apology, Zelenskyy emphasized his appreciation for American support.
"I'm thankful to President Trump and to Congress, bipartisan support, and I was always very thankful from all our people," Zelenskyy said.
In a November interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, Zelenskyy defended Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries despite objections from the Trump administration.
Biden’s memoir also addresses his handling of the presidential transition and his concerns about the incoming Trump administration’s approach to negotiations with Moscow.
According to the account, Trump’s team sought a letter authorizing direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Trump returned to office. Biden said he declined because of what he believed such talks could mean for Ukraine.
He was "unwilling to give them carte blanche for what I expected would be a kind of surrender, at Ukraine's expense," Biden said.
The former president also offered a personal assessment of Putin’s behavior during their encounters, describing an effort to project disinterest.
Putin "liked to slouch during a meeting, feigning indifference, like a teenager," Biden said.
Biden’s criticism of Zelenskyy appears alongside a favorable assessment of the Ukrainian leader’s previous career. His acting background "turned out to be very good training," Biden said.
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During Biden’s presidency, Ukraine’s requests included stronger air defenses, expanded weapons production and assistance disrupting Russian military logistics, according to a December 2023 account from Zelenskyy’s office. Before that White House meeting, Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for international assistance.
"I’d like to thank America and our partners for their support," Zelenskyy said.
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Biden subsequently announced additional assistance in September 2024, including $2.4 billion through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, another Patriot air defense battery and expanded training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots. His statement framed the measures as part of helping Ukraine defeat Russia’s invasion.
"The United States will provide Ukraine with the support it needs to win this war," Biden said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Zelenskyy for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
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