I remember the Ukrainans the first few days were actually telling the west to calm down so they could try to find a negotiated solution. Then the CIA hander must have called and "clarified" the situation for President Big Z

Even Zelensky himself didn’t believe (or at least didn’t publicly say) that Russia would invade lol.

Wasn't it a kind-of minor scandal when Biden's people were saying "We tried to warn you!" a day or two after Zelensky basically brushed off the possibility in a prior interview?