Trump used to believe that Ukraine was corrupt because a friend told him
Key Takeaways:
- Donald Trump asked his national security adviser in 2017 if US troops were stationed in Donbas, which was claimed by Russian-backed separatists.
- Yovanovitch writes in her book that she believes Trump came to the meeting thinking of Ukraine as a "loser country" that was weaker than Russia.
In 2017, Donald Trump asked his national security adviser if US troops were in Donbas, which Russian-backed separatists claimed. This isn't all. In front of then-Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, Trump had said that he knew Ukraine was corrupt because a Ukrainian friend had told him so.
Trump also stated that Crimea belongs to Russia and the locals speak Russian. Marie Yovanovitch, who was US ambassador to Ukraine, made these revelations.
The book has not yet been released.
Trump's words were surprising to hear at that meeting, Yovanovitch said because they were from one head of the state to the other, but the final embarrassment came when Trump asked whether US forces were in Ukraine.
The ambassador pondered whether Trump was implying something or didn't have a clear picture of who was fighting whom when he was asked the question.
"In any case, the fact that he didn't seem to know where our troops – his troops – were stationed was alarming. I can only imagine what the Ukrainians were thinking. "According to The Guardian, Yovanovitch wrote in a book titled Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir.
"An affirmative response to that question would have meant the US was engaged in a shooting war with Russia," she continued.
The book's publication comes as Ukraine has been at war with Russia for the past two weeks, and Trump has questioned US Vice President Joe Biden about Russia's attack.
In her book, Yovanovitch writes that she understood that Trump came to the meeting thinking of Ukraine as a "loser country" and weaker than Russia. But Trump might have been surprised after meeting Poroshenko, who was physical as imposing as Trump and a billionaire businessman.
The former envoy wrote, "Trump's obsequiousness toward Putin was a frequent and continuing source of concern."
As the war continues, Trump uses it as a platform to criticize Putin. At a rally in Florence on Saturday, Trump stated that the US does not have anyone to talk to Putin. "We don't have anyone who can speak with [Putin]. With me, you had someone to talk to him. It was because of my personality that we were able to avoid going to war, "he stated.