In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been contradicting the US narrative concerning a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, and his comments are angering Western officials.

US and European officials told The Washington Post that Zelensky's calls for calm are a cause for concern. After speaking with President Biden last week, Zelensky held a long press conference where he said Western leaders were creating a "panic" by claiming Russia is preparing to invade.

Earlier in January, Biden suggested the US and NATO might not have a coordinated response if Russia makes a "minor incursion" into Ukraine.

Zelensky responded on Twitter and wrote, "We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations." A senior US official who spoke anonymously to the Post called Zelensky's response "mind-boggling."

"We're his most important ally and he's poking us in the eye and creating daylight between Washington and Kyiv," the US official said. "It's self-sabotage more than anything else."