“In August and September of this year, I became increasingly concerned that our relationship with Ukraine was being FUNDAMENTALLY undermined by the irregular, informal channel of US policymaking and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic political reasons.”

- Ambassador Bill Taylor (emphasis added)

“By mid-July it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelenskyy wanted was conditioned[*] on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US election. [*All] driven by the irregular policy channel [. . .] guided by Mr. Giuliani.”

“On July 18 [...] toward the end of an otherwise normal meeting, a voice on the call- the person was off screen- said that she was from OMB and that her boss had instructed her not to approve any additional spending of security assistance for Ukraine until further notice.”

“I and others sat in astonishment- the Ukrainians were fighting the Russians & counted on not only the training and weapons, but also the assurance of US support. All that the OMB staff person said was that the directive had come from the President to the chief of staff to OMB.”

“IN AN INSTANT, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened. The irregular policy channel was running CONTRARY to the goals of longstanding US Policy.” (Emphasis added)

“I have a particular interest in and respect for the importance of our country’s relationship with Ukraine.

[...]

Ukraine is, right at this moment—while we sit in this room—and for the last five years, under ARMED attack from Russia.”

“IF Ukraine succeeds in breaking free of Russian influence, it is possible for Europe to be whole, free, democratic, & at peace. In contrast, if Russia dominates Ukraine, Russia will again become an empire, oppressing its people, threatening its neighbors and [] the world.”

“There followed a series of [national security] meetings, [at which] the UNANIMOUS conclusion was that security assistance should be RESUMED, the hold lifted. At one point the defense department was asked to perform an analysis of the effectiveness of the assistance.”

“WITHIN A DAY, the Defense Department came back with a determination that the assistance was effective and should be resumed. My understanding was that the Secretaries of Defense and State, the CIA director, and the National Security Advisor sought a joint meeting with POTUS...”

“...TO CONVINCE him to release the hold, BUT such a joint meeting was hard to schedule and the hold lasted well into September.”

“[After the disturbing July 18th revelation], the next day on the phone, Dr. Fiona Hill (National Security Council Senior Dir. for European & Russian Affairs) and Alex Vindman (NSC Dir. of European Affairs) tried to reassure me that they were not aware of any official change...”

“...in US policy toward Ukraine [but also] they did confirm that a hold on security assistance for Ukraine came from Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and that the Chief of Staff maintained a skeptical view of Ukraine.”

“In the same July 19 phone call, [Hill and Vinder] gave me an account of the July 10 meeting with Ukrainian officials at the White House.” Mtg participants:
- Alexander DANYLIUK, Ukrainian National Security Advisor
- Andriy YERMAK, Asst to Pres Zelenskyy
- Rick PERRY, Energy Sec

- John BOLTON, then-Nat Sec Advisor
- Amb. Kurt VOLKER, special envoy
- Amb. SONDLAND, EU Amb.

“Needless to say, the Ukrainians in the meetings were confused.”

“[Per Hill & Vindman] Amb. SONDLAND had connected ‘investigations’ with an Oval Office meeting for President Zelenskyy, which so irritated Amb. BOLTON that he abruptly ended the meeting, telling Dr. Hill and Mr. Vindman that they should have NOTHING to do with domestic politics.”

“[BOLTON] directed Dr. HILL to ‘BREIF THE LAWYERS.’ [She said] Amb. BOLTON referred to this [SONDLAND request] as a ‘DRUG DEAL’ after the July 10th meeting. Amb BOLTON opposed a call between [Prez. Z and Trump] out of concern that it ‘would be a DISASTER.’“ (Emphasis added).

Narrator: indeed it was a disaster, albeit Mr. Trump’s claims that the call was “perfect”—so much of a disaster, that it led to WH peeps hiding the call notes in a super secret server, leading to a whistleblower which has kicked off the entire impeachment inquiry.

Amb. Taylor is clear eyed about the threat to Ukraine: “With the ANNEXATION of Crimea in 2014 & the continued aggression in Donbas, Russia violated countless treaties, ignored all commitments, & dismissed all the principles [keeping peace & prosperity in Europe since World War 2”

“The security assistance we [the US] provide is crucial to Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, and, more importantly, sends a signal to Ukrainians—and Russians—that we are Ukraine’s reliable strategic partner.”

Amb. Taylor reluctantly took the role as acting Ambassador as Amb. Yovanovitch was pushed out. “I could be effective only if the US policy of strong support for Ukraine [] were to continue and if I had the backing of the Secretary of State to implement that policy.

”I worried about what I heard concerning the role of Rudolph Giuliani. [I told Pompeo] if US policy toward Ukraine change, he would not want me posted there and I could not stay. He assured me the policy [] would continue and that he would support me in defending that policy.”

“When I first arrived in Kyiv, in June and July, the actions of both the regular and irregular channels of foreign policy served the same goal—a strong Ukraine partnership—but it became clear to me by August that the channels had diverged in their objectives.”

Back to the July 19 phone call: “Dr. Hill informed me that Amb. Volker had met with Mr. Giuliani to discuss Ukraine. This caught me by surprise. The next day I asked Amb. Volker about that meeting, but received no response.”

“I began to sense that the two decision-making channels—the regular and irregular—were separate and at odds.”

July 20–call w/ “SONDLAND told me that he recommended to President [Z] he use the phrase ‘I will leave no stone unturned’ with regard to ‘investigations’”

Call w/ Danyliuk: “he conveyed to me that President [Z] did not want to be used as a pawn in a US re-election campaign.”

Taylor texted President Zelenskyy’s concerns to Volker and Sondland before the July 25th call.

Then the call happened.

“Strangely, [] I received no readout of the call from the White House.”

Official Notes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/official-readout-president-trump-s-july-25-phone-call-with-ukraine-s-volodymyr-zelensky/4b228f51-17e7-45bc-b16c-3b2643f3fbe0/

July 26: “President [Z] told Amb Volker and me that he was happy with the call but did not elaborate.”

After the meeting Amb Volker and Taylor “traveled to the front line in northern Donbas to receive a briefing from the commander of the forces on the line,”

“The commander thanked us for security assistance, but I was aware that this assistance was on hold, which made me uncomfortable.

Amb. Volker and I could see the armed and hostile Russian-led forces on the other side of the damaged bridge across the line of contact.”

“Over 13,000 Ukrainians have been killed in the war, one or two a week.

MORE UKRAINIANS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY DIE WITHOUT THE US ASSISTANCE.”

(Emphasis added)

The hold on security assistance lasted until September 11.

Update in Donbas, October 28 https://twitter.com/mhmck/status/1189144936265977856?s=21

Trump continues to do Putin’s bidding, holding Ukrainian lives in the balance while trying to cheat on the next election by using foreign help to smear Joe Biden.
#Unfuckingacceptable

Read more Amb William Taylor Jr.’s excellent testimony here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vUI__sxL_fgzy5JYqaxB9cysOHwwQSE4/view

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