New York, March 1 (IANS) Before it erupted volcanically at their Oval Office meeting, the hostility between Presidents Donald Trump of the US and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had been simmering since at least 2019 when Trump faced his first impeachment.
Trump had asked Zelensky in a July 2019 phone call to investigate former President Joe Biden, who was the Democratic Party front-runner against him in the 2020 election, and his son Hunter for possible corruption.
He had withheld about $400 million in aid to Ukraine in the days before the call, although he released it later.
Trump’s allegations centred on Hunter Biden, who had no experience in the energy field, becoming a director of a Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, while his father as Vice-President was dealing with Ukraine.
He also alleged that Biden had gotten a prosecutor investigating Burisma fired.
Democrats, backed by a whistleblower’s claims, accused Trump of abusing his office by demanding inquiries in return for releasing the aid and trying to induce foreign interference in US elections.
Trump went through a bruising impeachment trial that produced an indictment against him, but he was ultimately acquitted in the Senate trial that followed.
Trump lost the 2020 US presidential election that followed.
Zelensky was put in a tight spot, trying desperately to avoid being drawn into the controversy on either side.
Trump was peeved that he did not strongly disclaim the accusations that he had been pressured or that there was quid pro quo.
After Biden became President, Zelensky forged close ties with him, and the US leader backed Ukraine with aid and robust international political support.
Biden shut out Russia and isolated it internationally, hurting it with economic sanctions.
Republicans accused Zelensky of throwing his lot with Biden during last year’s election, notably with a highly publicised visit to an ammunition factory in Biden’s hometown of Scranton in the hotly contested swing state of Pennsylvania.
The mistrust between Trump and Zelensky further deepened.
The aid to Ukraine and the opposition to Russia had bipartisan consensus, but Trump began questioning Kyiv’s capacity to hold on despite the US backing, creating a rift in the political arena and Republicans following him or staying muted.
It got worse when Trump reached out directly to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to find a solution to the war.
Meanwhile, their anger spilled into the open last month when Zelensky accused Trump of “living in a world of disinformation” — a subtle hint at Moscow’s propaganda after Trump had said Zelensky started the war with Russia.
And Trump called him a “dictator”.
In a sign of the changed scenario, the US joined Russia at the UN General Assembly to vote against a resolution proposed by Ukraine condemning Moscow’s invasion.
Senior diplomats from the US and Russia met in Riyadh last week to find a way to end the war, leaving out Ukraine.
As it appeared that Russia and the US were going to make a deal over ending the war and the future of Ukraine, Zelensky protested and declared his country would never accept an agreement that it was not a part of.
That infuriated Trump, while European leaders like France’s President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried to act as bridges, but with little success.
Trust is at the heart of their confrontation, both between them and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky, having been burned several times, totally mistrusts Putin and fears he will go back on any peace agreement.
Despite the mistrust of Putin among many of his Western allies, Trump said he trusts him.
But added on Thursday, “You know, look, it’s, trust and verify, let’s call it that.”
That hasn’t helped bridge the trust gap.
–IANS
al/khz
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
