OUR american president Joe Biden lost his temper during a June telephone conversation with Vladimir Zelensky, when Ukrainian President asked for additional help from the United States, the American broadcaster NBC reported yesterday.

It was on June 15 that Biden told Zelensky that he had just given the go-ahead for another $1 billion U.S. military aid package to Ukraine, when Zelensky began listing all the extra aid his country needed.

Biden then lost his temper, people familiar with the phone call between the two leaders told NBC. The American people are generous enough, and their government and the US military are working hard to help Ukraine, the US president said, raising his voice to tell Zelensky he could be a little more grateful.

US administration officials said Biden’s relationship with Zelensky has improved since then. Immediately after the phone call, Zelenskiy publicly thanked Biden for the promised help.

In a statement following the call, Biden said he briefed Zelensky on the $1 billion aid and promised that the US “They will not waver in our commitment to the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their freedom.”

The phone call came just as the president was preparing to ask Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine.

Prior to that June 15 phone call, Biden’s irritation with Zelenskiy had been building for weeks, three people with knowledge of the phone call said. Biden and some of his top aides thought the US government was acting as quickly as it could, but Zelenskiy continued to publicly focus only on what was not being done.

Source: NBC News, APE.