Ukraine Foreign Minister: U.S. Aid, Investigations Were ‘Never’ Linked

Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said Thursday that U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland had “never” linked U.S. aid to Ukrainian investigations of the 2016 elections or the Biden’s role in stopping a probe of Burisma.

Prystaiko spoke the day after the first public hearings in the House Intelligence Committee as part of the “impeachment inquiry,” where two witnesses said they came to believe there had been such a link — though only some time after Politico reported on August 28 that aid had been held up by the Trump administration.

One of the witnesses, Chargé d’affaires Bill Taylor, introduced new evidence that a staffer told him recently that he overheard Sondland speaking to President Donald Trump the day after his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing “investigations.” The staffer also told Taylor that Sondland said that Trump was more interested in investigations than anything else.

As Breitbart News’ Kristina Wong noted, that new evidence — which is fourth-hand hearsay, plus opinion — added little new information, but was cited by Democrats and journalists as evidence that aid might have been linked to investigations Trump had asked the new Ukrainian government to pursue.

Trump Gives Huge Update on Russia-Ukraine War That Could Ease Pain at the Gas Pumps

GOP Gov. Candidate Forced to Swim for His Life After Plane Crash – Reporter Says Water Was ‘Only 30 Feet’ Deep

Saudi Arabia appeals to US as pipeline closure and Houthis spike oil prices

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed says leaders must address ‘unpaid debts’ to Black communities

Ex-Dem insider exposes what Harris told top donors days before Biden dropped out: ‘Insulting’

Mitch McConnell casts first Senate vote since June fall

John Brennan likely to face imminent prosecution in two cases: Lawyers

Lindsay Clancy juror denies bias allegations, wants ‘conversation started’ about women’s mental health

Construction rig collapses on 3 cars in Miami, traps workers as fire erupts

Jimmy Kimmel Faces Eye-Popping Budget Cuts to Keep Show Alive as He Learns Americans Just Don’t Care About Him Anymore

Protester confronts Vance during Kansas rally for Sen. Roger Marshall

Democrat Al Green to force House-wide vote on impeaching Trump

Reporter’s Notebook: Congress meets AI as fears of human extinction jolt Capitol Hill

Swedish Left projected for narrow victory in national elections, but pathway to governing coalition unclear

Air Force Officer Shot Down Over Iran Tells ’60 Minutes’ Prayer Got Him Through Harrowing Ordeal: ‘Lord, Your Will Be Done’

On Thursday, Prystaiko said that there had been no link in discussions at the time with Sondland, as Reuters reported:

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said on Thursday that U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland did not explicitly link military aid to Kiev with opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Interfax Ukraine reported.

…

“Ambassador Sondland did not tell us, and certainly did not tell me, about a connection between the assistance and the investigations. You should ask him,” Prystaiko said about Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

…

“I have never seen a direct relationship between investigations and security assistance,” Prystaiko was quoted as saying by Interfax. “Yes, the investigations were mentioned, you know, in the conversation of the presidents. But there was no clear connection between these events.”