Former U.S. President Joe Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin as downright dismissive in his new memoir, Promise Me, America, writing that Putin "like sinks during a meeting, punishes indifference, like a teenager," WSJ reports. Biden also characterized Ukrainian President Zelensky as occasionally "voddy and stubborn" in private conversations and less grateful than expected, though he praised Zelensky's operational background as valuable preparation for wartime leadership. Biden also revealed that members of Donald Trump's team asked for permission to negotiate directly with Putin before Trump returned to office, but he refused, fearing that the talks would be "a kind of capitulation, at the expense of Ukraine."

Former U.S. President Joe Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin as downright dismissive in his new memoir, Promise Me, America, writing that Putin "like sinks during a meeting, punishes indifference, like a teenager," WSJ reports. Biden also characterized Ukrainian President Zelensky as occasionally "voddy and stubborn" in private conversations and less grateful than expected, though he praised Zelensky's operational background as valuable preparation for wartime leadership. Biden also revealed that members of Donald Trump's team asked for permission to negotiate directly with Putin before Trump returned to office, but he refused, fearing that the talks would be "a kind of capitulation, at the expense of Ukraine."