Before the war, the US was sure that Ukraine would lose, advised Zelensky to record a video testament and prepare for guerrilla warfare
On the eve of the full-scale invasion, the United States was convinced that Ukraine would not be able to withstand it. Western partners assumed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might fall victim to Russian forces, so they advised him to record a video testament. Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke about this in Olha Koshelenko ‘s project USA-UA: Secret Files of the White House’.
Kuleba said that at a security conference in Munich, US Vice President Kamala Harris recommended that Zelenskyy prepare to form a government in exile and consider options for preparing for guerrilla warfare in order to have a military strategy.
Kuleba also recalled that in the last days before the invasion, he was discouraged from returning to Kyiv.
‘One person sent me a message, a great friend of Ukraine, and when I said I was coming back, he said, ‘We need Zelensky to record a video testament,’’ the former minister said.
In addition, the diplomat clarified that before the full-scale attack, Western allies recommended that President Zelenskyy prepare a recording in case of death.
A few hours before the invasion, Kuleba was in the United States, where people tried to dissuade him from returning, stressing that at best, the legitimate government would remain only in part of Ukraine.
‘Think three times: you will be needed to restore Ukrainian independence,’ Kuleba was quoted as saying by an unnamed US official.
When Kuleba was in Warsaw on his way home, another official also urged him not to return, saying that ‘you could be killed there, and your voice will be important for the continuation of the struggle,’ the former minister said.
