Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy bristles at release of Trump transcript

White House anyed and embarrassed Ukraine’s president by releasing his comments in a private conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump — and may have violated Ukrainian constitution too. rough transcript of Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy released Wednesday shows that Trump pressed Ukraine to “look into” his Democratic political rival Joe Biden. July 25 call is w at center of a U.S. impeachment probe.

“I think such things, such conversations between hes of independent states, y shouldn’t be published,” Zelenskiy told reporters at U.N. General Assembly in New York. He didn’t indicate wher White House warned him that his comments would be released. But he also said he’s “t afraid” of publication and that “ one can pressure me.” He sought to play down investigation into Biden and his son’s activities in Ukraine, calling it just one of “many cases that I talk about with leers of or countries.”

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'What Trump did is a violation of Ukrainian laws'

Ukrainian legal expert Roman Marchenko said release could have violated Ukrainian constitution’s privacy protections. “According to Ukrainian law, if approval for publication wasn’t given by Ukrainian side, n re is a criminal responsibility for violation for privacy of correspondence and phone calls,” Marchenko told Associated Press. “What Trump did (in publishing transcripts) is a violation of Ukrainian laws.”

However, Marchenko said it was doubtful that Zelenskiy’s office would seek legal action against White House. Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office, office of former President Petro Poroshenko and or Ukrainian government officials wouldn’t comment to Associated Press on transcript or Biden probe on Thursday.

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transcript didn’t dominate media landscape in Ukraine

While transcript was a bombshell for U.S. politics, it didn’t dominate media landscape or daily conversation in Ukraine, where many are disillusioned with politics, corruption and Ukraine’s struggling ecomy. “I think that Trump may put pressure on Ukraine because U.S. gives a huge amount of money to support Ukraine,” said Kyiv resident Serhiy Cheshyr. Taras Semenyuk, a political expert at KyivStratPro consulting company, said assumption that investigations can be ordered from on high “is a result of weakness of our institutions.”

“ situation is very unpleasant for Ukraine. Ukraine loses its reputation,” he said. While ackwledging that Biden investigation is very “high-profile” in United States, Zelenskiy told reporters, “I don’t kw details of this case.” “Different leers talk to me at many international meetings about various criminal cases,” Ukrainian president said, ting or examples from Italy and Turkey. “I talk about such cases every day.”

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“ pressure” on Ukrainian leer

At a meeting with Zelenskiy on Wednesday in New York, Trump said he placed “ pressure” on Ukrainian leer. But rough transcript summarizing call shows Trump repeatedly prodded Zelenskiy to work with U.S. attorney general and Trump’s personal attorney to investigate Biden, a former U.S. vice president. call is subject of a whistleblower complaint against Trump and basis for Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to open an impeachment inquiry. Zelenskiy tried to smooth over tensions with Germany and France after transcript revealed critical comments toward German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I am grateful for any assistance to Ukraine from our European leers, from Ms. Merkel, from Mr. Macron, and from ors,” he said. But he maintained criticism of rd Stream 2 project for a pipeline to send Russian gas to Europe. He called it “a big threat to our energy security” and said Ukraine would lose billions of dollars. Merkel’s office refused to comment on Trump’s remarks in transcript that German leer “talks Ukraine, but she doesn’t do anything.” Germany’s Foreign Ministry provided figures disputing Trump’s account, telling Associated Press that since 2014, German direct support to Ukraine amounted to 1.18 billion euros, in dition to ar 200 million euros through European Union support.

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