KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - For U.S. President Donald Trump, White House publication on Wednesday of a memo summarising his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fuelled a domestic political crisis. For Zelenskiy, it was a far-reaching diplomatic disaster. Zelenskiy's comments to the Republican
1 / 2FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivers a speech during a parliamentary session in KievBy Pavel Polityuk and Andrew Osborn
It relies heavily on Washington for aid and diplomatic help, and European countries like France and Germany are trying to help bring about talks aimed at breathing life into a stalled peace process over eastern Ukraine. The timing of the latest scandal is awkward for Zelenskiy, who is keen to reinvigorate parts of a stalled peace deal over eastern Ukraine, something for which he needs European and U.S. diplomatic muscle.
The French foreign ministry declined to comment and the Elysee was not immediately available for comment. But French officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Macron had gone out of his way to meet Zelenskiy before he was elected, something that was uncommon in normal protocol.
Zelenskiy also tried to smooth over things with Merkel and Macron, saying he was grateful for their help and that he had made his comments about them during"a difficult period." Some Ukrainians fear that the damage the Trump scandal could inflict on U.S.-Ukraine ties could also play into Russia's hands as it might imperil future U.S. military aid among other things.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Read the full memo of Trump's call with UkraineThe White House on Wednesday released a summary of President Trump&39;s controversial July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump repeatedly urged Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Biden&39;s son.
Read more »
Trump's Crowdstrike mention on Ukraine call likely referred to debunked server theoryAn analysis of the memo explaining President Donald Trump's call with the president of Ukraine as it pertains to an American cybersecurity firm.
Read more »
The 8 times Trump urged Ukraine’s leader to help with investigationsThe Wall Street Journal first reported that President Trump urged Ukraine to work with Rudy Giuliani 'about eight times' during a phone call. A transcript confirms them.
Read more »
Read: The full transcript of President Trump's call with Ukraine leader about Joe BidenTrump only mentioned Biden once in the July 25 call, which lasted about 30 minutes and produced a five-page transcript, NBC reported.
Read more »