Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Comment About Russian Invasion Reportedly ‘Ironic’ (UPDATED)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is expecting an attack later this week, CNN reported Monday, only to have his aides clarify that his comment was made ironically.
Zelensky was actually clear that he was citing a date floated by foreign intelligence/media reports. He himself wasn't saying an attack would happen on Feb. 16. CNN and NBC are among US outlets misreporting this. Here's what he said: https://t.co/NBbk8T9FZ6 https://t.co/1TnzQDNKcS
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 14, 2022
In a message Zelensky posted on social media, the Ukrainian president reportedly said his administration was informed that his country will be attacked on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Officials quickly clarified he was not being serious. He also signed a decree marking Feb. 16 as a day of unity.
Despite the reported irony in Zelensky’s comment, sources in the U.S. government told Politico that they expect a military assault on Ukraine this week.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand reported that the US is moving its Ukraine embassy operations out of Kyiv in response to a buildup of Russian armed forces.
Just in: Blinken announces that the US “is in the process of temporarily relocating our Embassy operations in Ukraine from our Embassy in Kyiv to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces.” Kyiv embassy closing for now. pic.twitter.com/5VHTumr2cX
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 14, 2022
CNN’s initial reporting on Volodymyr’s statement took his remarks in a literal sense, and did not register that Zelensky was speaking facetiously of a possible attack on Ukraine. CNN international correspondent Matthew Chance reported later on that Zelensky’s call for a unity day was “interpreted in some circles as confirmation” of an imminent attack, and he acknowledged Zelensky was “using some irony” while urging the country to remain calm in the face of a possible threat.
“This was part of an attempt to calm the Ukrainian population further and say ‘Look, you might be hearing it is February the 16th, but on that day, we’re going to have a national holiday, we’re going to wave our flags and put ribbons on our big overcoats,'” Chance said. “To some extent, that backfired internationally. But I think locally domestically, the message was heard loud and clear.”
This story has been updated with new information.
