Ukraine and US: A Bigger Mess Then Expected

What had begun as a simple phone call regarding military aid to Ukraine has now expounded itself into a possible impeachment of President Trump. This week Nancy Pelosi has initiated an impeachment inquiry process against Trump due to his phone calls with Ukrainian President Zelensky. A whistleblower complaint has been lodged against the President regarding misconduct over his phone call, claiming that Trump continually asked for favors from Zelensky to retroactively investigate Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his sons involvement in the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. According to a reconstructed transcript of the call, Trump is trying to have Zelensky investigate Biden in attempts to discredit one of his political opponents in the upcoming election and in exchange for this favor Trump would grant Ukraine military aid against Russian aggression. Democrats have deemed Trump’s phone call to “undermine our national security…an abuse of power… and unpatriotic” as well as “undermines the integrity of our elections, the dignity of the office he holds…and has tried to make lawlessness a virtue in America and now is exporting it abroad”. House Intelligence Committees have also stated that, “the President abused his office by directly and repeatedly asking a foreign country to investigate his political rival”. The President vehemently denies any wrongdoing in his phone call.
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Finally, after years of contention and turmoil in a continual war zone, Russia and Ukraine have finally agreed to a prisoner swap. This issue has been ongoing since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and has continually added to their stash of Ukrainian prisoners since the Russian establishment in Crimea. Ukraine released 35 people to Russia and in return received 35 of their own prisoners back to their own soil. This prisoner swamp comes at a time where border relations with Russia are at the forefront of the national news within Ukraine. It is clear that Zelensky is focusing his efforts into easing tensions with Russia as well as ending the dispute between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian rebels. What the future holds between these nations is ambiguous at best, but the initial prisoner swap demonstrates how the new President is focused on fulfilling his campaign pledges to his supporters by tackling the Russia-Ukraine issue head-on and is not intimidated to negotiate with the likes of Putin.

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Ukraine and US: A Mess

This article provided a third-party view of the international mess that is Donald Trump and his posse. In essence, this article covers the recent efforts by three Democrats from the House of Representatives to investigate Donald Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, in possible manipulation of the Ukrainian government. To make a long story short, in 2014 Joe Biden’s son was on the board for a huge Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. What is being asserted in current events is that Trump and Giuliani dangled with a $250 million in military commissions support in front of Ukraine’s president, Zelensky, for dirt regarding Joe and Hunter Biden’s involvement in Burisma. Trump insisted on withholding the military support from Ukraine unless they pursue legal paths to investigate the Biden's involvement in Burisma. What the House is trying to find out whether “President Trump's and Mr. Giuliani's attempted to manipulate the Ukrainian justice system to benefit the President's re-election campaign and target a possible political opponent". It seems Trump is setting the bar really low for morals and standards regarding his re-election campaign. Regardless, the House is requesting transcripts between Trump and Zelensky ask well as documents from Giuliani regarding security aid as well as records involving Ukraine and Hunter Biden. This information is due in a weeks time on September 16 so we shall see this issue resolved, hopefully.

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Victory in the Verkhovna Rada

Ukraine’s recent election of former comedian and actor, Volodymyr Zelensky, as President garners further momentum as elections have turned to the parliamentary front. The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has a total of 450 seats and Zelensky’s party, Servant of the People, has risen to the majority with 42% occupancy in parliament. The second party comes in at 13% which reflects a turn of the tide on the social and political front. One of the main issues Zelensky promised to deal with during his campaign was a revitalization of the economy as well as flushing out of the corruption riddled throughout Ukrainian society. Zelensky, his party, and his supports are all reflecting a shift towards a future established by the youth and mainstream culture instead of the former entrenched bureaucrats from the soviet-era. With a majority in parliament to back his new presidency, Zelensky can focus on issues regarding Russian-backed separatists on their eastern front to achieve a final unification as a nation. 

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