The White House on Wednesday, September 25, posted the transcript of a conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that took place on July 25, 2019.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s name appears several times in the text of the document. At the same time, the document indicates that the document was compiled based on notes taken by White House employees who were present in Trump’s office during the conversation.
The Trump-Zelensky conversation has received a much attention in American media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, and the sides discussed prospects of negotiations on Donbas and Swedish investment in the Ukrainian economy.
The press service of the president of Ukraine reported on the president’s website on Wednesday, Zelensky thanked the prime minister for comprehensive support of Kyiv, in particular, the support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The parties discussed the prospects of the negotiations on Donbas.
“We are not ready to wait five more years for the negotiations in Minsk to yield results,” Zelensky said.
The head of state also noted the importance of Sweden as a partner for Ukraine, in particular in the trade sphere.
Zelensky urged Löfven to facilitate the increase of Swedish investments in Ukraine’s economy, including the spheres of energy efficiency and recycling.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the United States to participate in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the press service of the Office of the President reported in the Telegram channel.
“Zelensky will deliver a speech during the general debate of the UN General Assembly, and will also take part in the Sustainable Development Goals Summit,” the press service said.
In New York, Zelensky will hold a series of bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, including with U.S. President Donald Trump.
In addition, during the visit, the head of the Ukrainian state will meet with leaders of the Ukrainian community in the United States, as well as with representatives of American business circles.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the law “On a special procedure for removing the president of Ukraine from office (impeachment)” (No. 1012) adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.
On September 23, the bill was “returned with the signature of the president,” the parliament’s website said.
As reported, on September 10, the Verkhovna Rada adopted on the whole the presidential bill No. 1012, according to which the parliament can remove the president of Ukraine from office by impeachment only if he commits treason or another crime.
When a motion of impeachment is added to the Verkhovna Rada’s agenda, an ad hoc investigative commission is set up to look into the fact and circumstances of the president’s treason or other crime.
After the Verkhovna Rada decides to impeach the president, the parliament must appeal to the Constitutional and Supreme Courts.
“If the Constitutional and Supreme Courts confirm the constitutionality of the investigative and impeachment procedures and signs of treason or another crime committed by the Ukrainian president, the Verkhovna Rada … decides to remove the Ukrainian president from office as a result of impeachment … The relevant resolution passes according to at least three quarters of a constitutional majority of Verkhovna Rada deputies,” the bill says.
If the impeachment resolution does not pass, the Verkhovna Rada chairman will apologize to the president.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Yulia Kovaliv to the post of Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The corresponding decree of September 20, 2019 was posted on the presidential website on Monday.
Kovaliv is head of the office of the National Investment Council under the President of Ukraine, former first deputy minister of economic development and trade of Ukraine, ex-member of the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) and ex-head of the supervisory board of Naftogaz Ukrainy.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said in his telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he said nothing wrong. “The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, want to stay as far away as possible from the Joe Biden demand that the Ukrainian Government fire a prosecutor who was investigating his son, or they won’t get a very large amount of U.S. money, so they fabricate a story about me and a perfectly fine and routine conversation I had with the new President of Ukraine!” Trump said on Twitter on Saturday.
Trump said, “Nothing was said that was in any way wrong, but Biden’s demand, on the other hand, was a complete and total disaster.”
Biden earlier called on Trump to make public the transcript of the conversation with Zelensky. The call came after media reported that a U.S. intelligence officer complained about the U.S. president because of “troublesome promise” to the foreign leader (perhaps referencing Ukraine and its president).
Biden said in a statement, “[Trump] used the power and resources of the United States to pressure a sovereign nation—a partner that is still under direct assault from Russia—pushing Ukraine to subvert the rule of law in the express hope of extracting a political favor.”
