Biden, in his new memoirs, called Zelensky capricious, stubborn and ungrateful enough. He also told how he prevented the Trump team from starting negotiations with Russia.
Excerpts from Biden's book "Trust Me, America," which will be released on November 17, are cited by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the former US president, Zelensky's acting background "proved to be very good preparation" for the role of wartime leader. However, in personal communication, the Ukrainian president made a mixed impression on him.
"In our private conversations, Zelensky can be capricious and stubborn and not as grateful as I expected," Biden writes.
He recalled of Putin that he spoke in an irritated tone, and during meetings he liked to lounge on a chair, feigning indifference, "like a boy."
Biden also said that after Trump won the 2024 election, representatives of his team asked to sign a letter that would allow them to begin direct negotiations with Putin before the inauguration.
However, Biden refused because he did not want to give them "carte blanche for what I expected to be some kind of capitulation at the expense of Ukraine."