Petulant tone, teenage behaviour: Biden's blunt take on Putin in memoir

Former US President Joe Biden has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as behaving like a “teenager” during their meetings, while offering a mixed assessment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his new memoir, Promise Me, America, HuffPost reported.According to excerpts from the memoir shared by The Wall Street Journal, Biden said Putin adopted a “petulant tone” and liked to “slouch during a meeting, feigning indifference, like a teenager”.Biden also praised Zelenskyy's acting background, saying it had provided “very good training” for his role as Ukraine's wartime leader. However, he acknowledged that their private conversations were not always cordial.The former US president said Zelenskyy “could be moody and stubborn in our private conversations, and not as grateful as I would have expected”. Biden also revealed that members of US President Donald Trump's team had asked him to sign a letter authorising them to negotiate directly with Putin. The request reportedly came after Trump won the 2024 presidential election but before he took office in January 2025.Biden was in the White House when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His administration provided substantial military and financial assistance to Kyiv, including a USD 500 million military aid package shortly before Trump returned to office. Trump, meanwhile, has pursued a markedly different approach to the conflict. Despite promising to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, his administration has struggled to secure a breakthrough in negotiations.Trump has also faced criticism over his approach towards Putin, including hosting the Russian leader at a summit in Alaska last year. His administration has simultaneously faced scrutiny over efforts to ease restrictions affecting Russian energy exports.The US president has repeatedly criticised Zelenskyy, questioned continued American support for Kyiv and made statements that have drawn criticism for downplaying Russia's responsibility for starting the war.Meanwhile, Ukraine recently rejected fresh Russian proposals conveyed through Washington, which reportedly called for a broader restructuring of Europe's security order in exchange for a possible ceasefire.- Ends