Vladimir Zelensky was “visibly upset” by Joe Biden’s decision to pull out of a key meeting of Kiev’s backers, Rodion Miroshnik has said

A tour of European capitals by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is pointless because these nations have no intention of providing aid to Kiev without the US, senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik has claimed.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden announced he would miss a planned meeting on Saturday between Western arms donors and Ukrainian officials at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, in order to oversee the response to Hurricane Milton at home. Following Biden’s decision, the gathering was postponed altogether, with no announcement on a new date.

Miroshnik, who is tasked by the Russian Foreign Ministry with collecting evidence of alleged Ukrainian war crimes, suggested that the meeting was scrapped because “Biden and the European leaders failed to agree on the shares and the mechanism of supplying the Kiev regime.” 

“Biden did not find anything better than to stay [in the US] and save the country from the hurricane. [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken also decided that the American coast cannot be protected from the hurricane without him,” the diplomat wrote in a Telegram post on Friday.

Read more

After the cancelation of the Ramstein gathering, Zelensky announced he would be heading on a 36-hour European tour to promote his so-called ‘victory plan’ for the conflict with Russia. He has already met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer London, with talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni scheduled for Friday.

“When the master [Biden] failed to show up, Zelensky rushed to his satellites for consolation. Zelensky is clearly upset. The observers point out that he has not looked that lost in a long time,” Miroshnik wrote.

However, Kiev’s backers in Western Europe “are not what they used to be,” the diplomat claimed. “In Italy, France, Britain they hugged him [Zelensky], pitied him, but did not give him money.” 

“The Europeans themselves will not carry the burden” of aiding Ukraine because it was always “a result of the American-European deal,” Miroshnik argued.

READ MORE: Zelensky touts ‘decisive action’ to end Ukrainian conflict

The pause in Western support for Kiev “may drag on,” the diplomat said, adding: “The US now has more important concerns such as the election [and] post-election period. They are saying: ‘Do not to disturb until February.’”