Ukrainian officials say Trump would only talk to Zelensky 'if they would discuss the Biden case' in their July phone call

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

• Ukrainian officials understood that President Donald Trump would only speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a July phone call if Zelensky agreed to discuss investigating former Vice President Joe Biden, ABC News reported.
• "It was clear that Trump will only have communications if they will discuss the Biden case," Serhiy Leshchenko, an anticorruption advocate and adviser to Zelensky, told the outlet. "This issue was raised many times. I know that Ukrainian officials understood."
• The White House released notes of the call on Wednesday which confirm that Trump repeatedly pressed Zelensky to investigate Biden ahead of the 2020 election, as well as help discredit the Russia investigation and the former special counsel Robert Mueller.
• The phone call is at the heart of an explosive whistleblower complaint against Trump that was turned over to Congress on Wednesday.
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Before President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with the newly elected Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in July, Ukrainian officials understood that Trump would only come to the table if Zelensky agreed to discuss an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, ABC News reported.

"It was clear that Trump will only have communications if they will discuss the Biden case," Serhiy Leshchenko, an anticorruption advocate and adviser to Zelensky, told the outlet. "This issue was raised many times. I know that Ukrainian officials understood."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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See Also:

• Democrats and Republicans have such opposite spins on Trump's call with the Ukrainian president it's like they read 2 different transcripts
• 'I stayed at the Trump Tower': Ukrainian president's call with Trump shows how far world leaders can go to massage his ego
• The notes on Trump's call with Ukraine's president hint at a quid pro quo over investigating Joe Biden's son

SEE ALSO: The Trump administration just released the whistleblower complaint to Congress after a fierce tug-of-war

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