Testimony from career diplomats outlines Trump’s dark view of Ukraine

Washington Post logoTwo career diplomats testified to House impeachment investigators Wednesday that President Trump displayed a deeply pessimistic view of Ukraine that was out of step with officials at the White House and State Department who saw support for the European country as critical in its battle with Russian-backed separatists.

The State Department officials, Catherine Croft and Christopher Anderson, said their optimistic view of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clashed with a darker outlook of the new government held by Trump and an informal channel of actors linked to the president’s attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to opening statements obtained by The Washington Post.

The testimony followed a blockbuster day in which Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert assigned to the National Security Council, gave lawmakers a firsthand account of Trump’s alleged attempt at a quid pro quo during a July 25 call with Zelensky. Partisan tensions were also building around procedural rules for impeachment drafted by Democrats, which were scheduled for a markup Wednesday afternoon ahead of an expected House vote on Thursday.

View the complete October 30 article by John Hudson and Elise Bieber on The Washington Post website here.