Ukraine aid was reportedly released just 2 days before Zelensky was set to announce a Burisma investigation
Ukraine's president reportedly came quite close to making the announcement of investigations President Trump wanted.
As Trump was pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly announce the opening of investigations involving Burisma, the gas company where former Vice President Joe Biden's son served on the board, and supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, "high-level Ukrainian officials ultimately decided to acquiesce to President Trump's request," The New York Times reports. They were hoping to receive the U.S. aid that had been frozen; the House of Representatives is investigating whether Trump improperly withheld this aid in order to get Ukraine to open investigations that might help him in the 2020 election and damage Biden politically.
Plans were reportedly made for Zelensky to make an announcement during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sept. 13. United States Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland recently testified that he told Ukraine "resumption of the U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anticorruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks." According to the Times, an aide to Zelensky suggested "language that mentioned investigations but in general terms," and American diplomats "late in the negotiations" agreed to drop the 2016 mention.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A mere two days before the interview was scheduled to take place, though, the aid was released, with this coming after Congress learned about it being frozen. The Times describes this as "a stroke of luck" that prevented Ukraine from having to follow through, although Ukraine's foreign minister provided little clarity about what Zelensky was specifically planning to tell Zakaria. An analyst told the Times, though, "The Zelensky team was ready to make this quid quo pro."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostages
Speed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 years
Speed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for Ukraine
Speed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawater
Speed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published