Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he learned about a massive leak of top-secret U.S. intelligence documents in the news.
Zelensky, in an interview with The Washington Post, said he had no conversations with the White House or President Biden about the leak.
“I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand,” Zelensky said. “We did not have that information. I personally did not. It’s definitely a bad story.”
“It is unprofitable for us,” Zelensky continued. “It is not beneficial to the reputation of the White House, and I believe it is not beneficial to the reputation of the United States.”
Dozens of classified U.S. and NATO documents, some of which were “top-secret,” were leaked on Discord, a social media chat platform, before spreading to other platforms early this year. The leaks picked up national attention in early April.
The documents, which were intended for top military and intelligence officials only, leaked extensive details about munitions, training and air defense systems at a time when Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive this spring against Russia.
The documents only provide information on the conflict up to March, but they still present insights into Ukraine’s military capabilities and shortcomings, which experts say could prove harmful to the U.S. and Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the leaks with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba during a call in April, according to the Post. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also took calls with her Ukrainian counterparts about the issue, but Zelensky has reportedly not had any conversations.
Some Ukrainian officials believe the leak could lead Ukraine to not share as much intelligence with the United States, according to the Post.
Some leaks are from signals intelligence, indicating “the United States is spying on top Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky,” according to the report.
Zelensky, when asked whether the leaks have strained the relationship between the two countries, said: “I cannot risk our state.”
“Where I can speak frankly, I do it. But there are high risks,” he added. “If it were my war against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and there were two of us on the battlefield, I would tell everyone what I think of them. But here the story is a little different. We are all responsible.”
Zelensky declined to comment on the truthfulness of the leaks or describe the leaks as sensitive because he said “that would acknowledge that the documents are real,” according to the Post.