Trump impeachment probe damaging US diplomatic credibility in Ukraine: Report

The impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine is damaging US diplomatic credibility in the Eastern European nation at a time when American foreign policy influence is already waning in that region, according to a report.

The impeachment drama unfolding in Washington is further bolstering Russia’s position along Europe’s geopolitical front line, with consequences around the region, The Associated Press said in an analysis on Friday, citing foreign policy experts in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials told the AP that they increasingly feel the US impeachment inquiry is making their country toxic.

Democrats in the House launched an impeachment inquiry against Trump in September after a whistleblower alleged the Republican president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who had served as a director for Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Since the launch of the impeachment probe, US officials have shown increasing indifference to Ukraine and have been reluctant to attend meetings, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

This has been particularly visible since the resignation of US envoy Kurt Volker in September, the Ukrainian lawmaker said. Volker’s departure led to the disappearance of a coordination center made up of people who were engaged in Ukraine’s affairs.

The mixed messages to Ukraine from the Trump administration are also damaging US diplomatic credibility at a time when American foreign policy influence is already waning, the report said.

“Trump’s policy toward Ukraine looks badly incoherent and inconsistent,” said Mykola Sunhurovskyi, the head of military programs at the Razumkov Center, a Kyiv-based independent think-tank. “It’s like a swing, and Kyiv has found it difficult to adapt to that.”

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US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the president’s actions in the impeachment inquiry amount to “bribery.”

US military aid makes up about 10 percent of Ukraine’s military budget, and is an indication of Washington’s determination to stand firmly behind its ally, according to Sunhurovskyi.

In a July 25 phone call that triggered the impeachment inquiry, Trump pushed the newly-elected Zelenskiy to investigate Biden, his potential 2020 presidential rival, while the Trump administration was withholding about $400 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Democrats say that Trump was engaged in “bribery” and “extortion,” abusing his office for personal political gain.

The erosion of Washington’s support for Ukraine leaves the Western-backed government in Kiev vulnerable to Russia, experts told the AP.

“Trump’s hesitations and the absence of a clear US strategy forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russia,” said Vadim Karasev, head of the Kyiv-based Institute of Global Strategies.

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