Ukraine working on Poroshenko-Trump meeting - FM
'We are going to contact the Trump team about it, when the meeting is going to happen, we will work on whether the meeting will occur before Trump formally becomes President or after, Klimkin said. Ref. Source 5z.
Text messages show U.S. Diplomats believed nation's aid to Ukraine was linked to President Trump's demand for probe into Biden family. Text messages between Kurt Volker, then-Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, and other U.S. Diplomats - released late Thursday by House Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry - paint a picture of American foreign policy decisions being driven by Trump's domestic political concerns and an ad-hoc agenda crafted by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's private attorney. The Democrats released the messages after Volker spent more than nine hours Thursday testifying behind closed-doors as part of the inquiry. Source 8l.
The White House violated federal law in withholding Ukraine security funds last summer, a government watchdog report says.The Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday that the White House Office of Management and Budget did not have the authority to withhold the money under the federal Impoundment Control Act. The funds are at the center of the impeachment case against President Trump. Ref. USAToday.
Ukrainian president rebukes Biden over Russia 'minor incursion' remark. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he wanted to remind "Great powers that there are no minor incursions" after Biden suggested the U.S. Might not respond aggressively to a small scale Russian invasion of its neighbor. Source 9q.
Poor choice of words on Biden's part although I know what he meant when you are dealing with a tyrant like Putin you can't appear to be weak at all so the Ukraine is right to be upset.
International Level: Politics 101 / Political Participation: 9 0.9%
Families of US Embassy staff ordered to leave Ukraine as State Department stiffens travel warning amid 'threats of Russian military action'. The State Department on Sunday told staff at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine that their families must go home, and the department warned travelers to avoid the country "Due to the increased threats of Russian military action." The order came hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Sunday that the U.S. And NATO will forcefully support Ukraine should Russian troops invade. Source 2t.