In the first two days of the war, the White House believed that the Russians would capture Kyiv

In the first two days of the war, the United States believed that Kyiv would be taken by Russia,

The said White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre during a briefing.

“You know, in the first couple of days after the start of extensive hostilities, we thought that Kyiv would be taken,” Jean-Pierre stated.

It’s worth noting that in mid-November, journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz from the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna publication wrote in his book “Poland at War” that at the beginning of the war, the White House was convinced that Kyiv would fall within three days and was preparing to evacuate 40,000 people – U.S. citizens and the entire Ukrainian political elite.

According to the journalist, the most skeptical about Ukraine’s chances to resist was Joe Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan. Later, for the same reasons, the United States hesitated to provide additional assistance in the form of heavy weaponry.

Additionally, in the summer, the Pentagon admitted that the U.S. initially understood that Ukraine’s counteroffensive would be difficult.