This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
Published on October 23, 2019, a new revelation has emerged in the ongoing Ukraine scandal. Ukrainian officials were struggling to get clear answers from American contacts about the status of the assistance in early August, according to American officials familiar with the Ukrainians' efforts.
As the situation unfolded, Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, and Kurt D. Volker, then the State Department's special envoy to Ukraine, were working with Rudy Giuliani to draft a statement for President Zelensky to deliver that would commit him to pursuing investigations sought by President Trump, according to text messages between the men turned over to the House impeachment investigators.
However, the text messages between Mr. Volker, Mr. Sondland, and the top Zelensky aide did not mention the holdup of the aid. It was only in September, after the Warsaw meeting, that Mr. Taylor wrote in a text message to Mr. Sondland, 'I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.'
Ukrainian officials, including their national security adviser and defense minister, were troubled by their inability to get answers to questions about the freeze from United States officials, Mr. Taylor testified. They were informed on September 1 in Warsaw that the aid would be released only if Mr. Zelensky agreed to the investigations.
On September 5, Mr. Zelensky met in Kiev with Senators Ron Johnson and Chris Murphy. Mr. Zelensky's first question was about the security aid, and the senators responded that he 'should not jeopardize bipartisan support by getting drawn into U.S. domestic politics.'
