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Imperialism Inc.

(2,495 posts) Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:46 AM Oct 2019

Ukrainian President Says 'No Blackmail' in Phone Call With Trump

Source: NY Times

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Thursday that President Donald Trump did not seek to blackmail him over military aid when the two leaders spoke this summer during a telephone call that has formed the basis of an impeachment inquiry in the United States.

Speaking at a marathon news conference at a food court in Kiev, Mr. Zelensky said that he was not aware at the time of the call that Mr. Trump had put a hold on nearly $400 million in promised military aid and that the topic had not come up.

“There was no blackmail,” Mr. Zelensky said. “They blocked the military aid before we had our conversation, but we did not discuss it. Later we discussed it with the defense minister and he said, ‘we have a problem, they’ve blocked this money.’”

...

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/world/europe/ukraine-trump-zelensky-burisma-blackmail.html

22 replies

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Highlight:

Ukrainian President Says 'No Blackmail' in Phone Call With Trump (Original Post) Imperialism Inc. Oct 2019 OP

Doesn't all the evidence belie this? Dennis Donovan Oct 2019 #1

Well yes. Surely. Imperialism Inc. Oct 2019 #4

...and Zelensky is going to be there after trump is gone. mpcamb Oct 2019 #19

Doesn't matter what Z thought, President Ratf**ker was angling for foreign help. Thomas Hurt Oct 2019 #2

The New York Times again. Iliyah Oct 2019 #3

Not as if NYT is making it up. Imperialism Inc. Oct 2019 #6

I say He's being blackmailed to say bluestarone Oct 2019 #5

The Ukrainian President is scared shitless RAB910 Oct 2019 #7

Zelensky is correct. It was extortion. Zambero Oct 2019 #8

The word used was "shantazh." Igel Oct 2019 #20

Tells me he learned his lesson. beachbumbob Oct 2019 #9

Zelensky is in so far over his head The Liberal Lion Oct 2019 #10

Ok, now we know, he is being blackmailed again. Perseus Oct 2019 #11

I am willing to wager he is saying this because he is afraid more aid might get stopped in cstanleytech Oct 2019 #12

He is blackmailing Trump now Yoopy Oct 2019 #13

Zelensky is desperate to please a Trump. SunSeeker Oct 2019 #14

He really is in a no win situation nt blaze Oct 2019 #16

What Z thinks doesn't matter. BlueIdaho Oct 2019 #15

Doesn't matter MissMillie Oct 2019 #17

Doesn't matter, just asking foreigners for making up dirt ... Lock him up. Oct 2019 #18

"Did I say it right, Mr tRump, sir?" Maeve Oct 2019 #21

He's worried the orange ratfucker would love to ratfuck him. n/t BlancheSplanchnik Oct 2019 #22

Dennis Donovan

(18,770 posts)

1. Doesn't all the evidence belie this?

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:49 AM

Oct 2019

Imperialism Inc.

(2,495 posts)

4. Well yes. Surely.

Reply to Dennis Donovan (Reply #1)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:55 AM

Oct 2019

Obviously Zelensky is trying to walk a tightrope here. He has domestic and international politics to worry about.

mpcamb

(2,871 posts)

19. ...and Zelensky is going to be there after trump is gone.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Reply #4)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 02:18 PM

Oct 2019

Thomas Hurt

(13,903 posts)

2. Doesn't matter what Z thought, President Ratf**ker was angling for foreign help.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:54 AM

Oct 2019

Iliyah

(25,111 posts)

3. The New York Times again.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:54 AM

Oct 2019

They were blackmailed.

Imperialism Inc.

(2,495 posts)

6. Not as if NYT is making it up.

Reply to Iliyah (Reply #3)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:02 AM

Oct 2019

It is being reported elsewhere too. Seems that Zelensky had a long press conference where it came up. I mean, don't shoot the messenger. Trump and the GOP are surely going use this and say there cant have been anything wrong since Zelensky didn't even know the money was being held up.

Ukraine president downplays Trump pressures in all-day media marathon
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/10/ukraine-president-trump-conversation-no-blackmail-043818

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday there was “no blackmail” in the phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump that helped spark an impeachment inquiry.

Zelenskiy is trying to save his reputation and distance himself from the U.S. political drama. In an all-day “media marathon” held in a food court, he played down suggestions that Trump pressured him to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden in exchange for military aid to help Ukraine battle Russian-backed separatists.

Story Continued Below
Responding to questions from The Associated Press, Zelenskiy said he only learned after their July 25 phone call that the U.S. had blocked hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.

Story Continued Below
“We didn’t speak about this” during the July call, Zelenskiy said.

“There was no blackmail.”
...

bluestarone

(16,959 posts)

5. I say He's being blackmailed to say

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:00 AM

Oct 2019

He wasn't blackmailed.

RAB910

(3,501 posts)

7. The Ukrainian President is scared shitless

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:02 AM

Oct 2019

He just Trump allow the murder of our Kurdish allies. The last thing he wants to do is piss off Ttukp

Zambero

(8,964 posts)

8. Zelensky is correct. It was extortion.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:04 AM

Oct 2019

There is a clear distinction between the two. Blackmail presupposes revealing wrongdoing unless the blackmailer's demands are met. Extortion is the practice of obtaining or withholding something through force or threats. The latter applies in this instance.

Igel

(35,317 posts)

20. The word used was "shantazh."

Reply to Zambero (Reply #8)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 06:58 PM

Oct 2019

My dictionaries translate it as "blackmail," but point to its use for "vymahannya" (which is the legal term for "extortion&quot .

Most Anglophones I know aren't lawyers. They don't draw a good distinction between the two words. If pushed, they can usually draw it, but many still don't.

Pick up the thread around 0:35 at https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-trump-call-biden-investigation/30209593.html. (And learn a bit of Ukrainian! His diction's really clear.)

beachbumbob

(9,263 posts)

9. Tells me he learned his lesson.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:14 AM

Oct 2019

The Liberal Lion

(1,414 posts)

10. Zelensky is in so far over his head

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:21 AM

Oct 2019

Perseus

(4,341 posts)

11. Ok, now we know, he is being blackmailed again.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:23 AM

Oct 2019

Zelensky, you tell the World there was no blackmail, or you don't get the money your country so desperately needs, capiche?

cstanleytech

(26,293 posts)

12. I am willing to wager he is saying this because he is afraid more aid might get stopped in

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:33 AM

Oct 2019

retaliation and they need that aid badly.

Yoopy

(124 posts)

13. He is blackmailing Trump now

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:56 AM

Oct 2019

He's playing nice so he can get aid.

SunSeeker

(51,559 posts)

14. Zelensky is desperate to please a Trump.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 11:26 AM

Oct 2019

He is about to lose his country to Russia.

blaze

(6,362 posts)

16. He really is in a no win situation nt

Reply to SunSeeker (Reply #14)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 11:35 AM

Oct 2019

BlueIdaho

(13,582 posts)

15. What Z thinks doesn't matter.

Reply to Imperialism Inc. (Original post)

Thu Oct 10, 2019, 11:32 AM

Oct 2019

Similarly, it doesn’t matter if the extortion worked or not. The crime is solicitation of a foreign source for political gain. The President gave America the evidence of his crime. He’s guilty as hell.

Let’s not over complicate this thing.