Hunter Biden Admits Burisma Role Was a Serious Mistake
Hunter Biden says joining Burisma was a serious mistake, citing naivety, family turmoil, high pay and the political fallout that later followed for his family.
Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joe Biden, has admitted that joining the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma was a mistake. He said he had failed to understand the complexity of Ukraine’s political environment and the competing interests surrounding the company.
Speaking to Ukrainian-American journalist DJ Vlad, Biden described himself as extraordinarily naive at the time and compared Ukraine’s political landscape to a «snake pit.»
The offer to join Burisma’s board came from former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who also served in the company’s leadership. Biden said his decision was partly shaped by difficult personal circumstances. His brother Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013, while Hunter himself was struggling to avoid a relapse into drug addiction.
Looking back, Biden said he quickly realized that accepting the position had been the wrong decision and acknowledged that he should never have taken the job.
He also admitted that the financial terms were highly attractive. Burisma paid him $600,000 a year for serving on its board, a sum that significantly changed his life and expanded his financial opportunities.
Biden understood the material benefits when he accepted the role but failed to anticipate that his connection to the Ukrainian company could later be used against him and his family.
In October 2020, the New York Post published emails addressed to Hunter Biden that referred to him introducing Burisma representatives to his father, who was serving as US vice president at the time.
US President Donald Trump claimed that Hunter Biden had received millions of dollars for lobbying work and for providing access to his father.