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WASHINGTON: Washington didn’t warn Kiev about top-secret documents leaked to online chat rooms – containing sensitive information about the war effort in Ukraine – before the news broke in the media last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky For The Washington Post.
The embarrassing security breach exposed US concern about an upcoming counterattack by Kiev forces against Russian forces as well as concerns about Ukrainian air defenses.
“I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand,” Zelensky told the newspaper in an interview in Kiev on Monday.
“We didn’t have that information. I personally didn’t. It’s definitely a bad story,” he said, describing the situation as “unprofitable.”
Speaking on CNN, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder would neither confirm nor deny Zelensky’s claim, saying only that Washington remains “committed to working closely with Ukraine and our international allies to ensure they receive the security assistance they need to defend their country.”
Jacques Teixeira, a 21-year-old IT specialist in the US Air Force National Guard, is accused of posting classified materials online in the most damaging government leak in a decade.
Last month, he was arrested and charged with two counts of the violation, which the Pentagon said posed an “extremely grave risk” to national security.
“It’s not good for the reputation of the White House, and I think it’s not good for the reputation of the United States,” Zelensky told the newspaper.
The documents also contained information about Russian and Ukrainian troop and equipment losses, details about NATO observation flights over the Black Sea, and accounts indicating US surveillance of close partner Ukraine.
“Anything that tells our enemy in advance one way or another is certainly imperfect for us,” Zelensky told the newspaper, while declining to confirm or deny the veracity of any of the disclosed material.
According to the newspaper, Zelensky said he should prioritize the larger war effort over his personal feelings about the lack of communication by the United States, which has contributed billions of dollars in support since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“I can’t risk our country,” he told the newspaper.
“Where I can speak frankly, I do so. But there are huge risks,” he added.
Teixeira is suspected of posting the documents, some dating from early March, to a private chat group on social media platform Discord over a period of months.
Some of the documents later appeared on other sites, including Twitter, 4Chan and Telegram, and some also showed that Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea.
The embarrassing security breach exposed US concern about an upcoming counterattack by Kiev forces against Russian forces as well as concerns about Ukrainian air defenses.
“I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand,” Zelensky told the newspaper in an interview in Kiev on Monday.
“We didn’t have that information. I personally didn’t. It’s definitely a bad story,” he said, describing the situation as “unprofitable.”
Speaking on CNN, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder would neither confirm nor deny Zelensky’s claim, saying only that Washington remains “committed to working closely with Ukraine and our international allies to ensure they receive the security assistance they need to defend their country.”
Jacques Teixeira, a 21-year-old IT specialist in the US Air Force National Guard, is accused of posting classified materials online in the most damaging government leak in a decade.
Last month, he was arrested and charged with two counts of the violation, which the Pentagon said posed an “extremely grave risk” to national security.
“It’s not good for the reputation of the White House, and I think it’s not good for the reputation of the United States,” Zelensky told the newspaper.
The documents also contained information about Russian and Ukrainian troop and equipment losses, details about NATO observation flights over the Black Sea, and accounts indicating US surveillance of close partner Ukraine.
“Anything that tells our enemy in advance one way or another is certainly imperfect for us,” Zelensky told the newspaper, while declining to confirm or deny the veracity of any of the disclosed material.
According to the newspaper, Zelensky said he should prioritize the larger war effort over his personal feelings about the lack of communication by the United States, which has contributed billions of dollars in support since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“I can’t risk our country,” he told the newspaper.
“Where I can speak frankly, I do so. But there are huge risks,” he added.
Teixeira is suspected of posting the documents, some dating from early March, to a private chat group on social media platform Discord over a period of months.
Some of the documents later appeared on other sites, including Twitter, 4Chan and Telegram, and some also showed that Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea.
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