Trump confirmed withholding Aid to Ukraine

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On Tuesday, the U.S President Donald Trump has admitted he withheld aid for Ukraine. Some reports have indicated that he repeatedly urged the country’s leader to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden in a phone call earlier this year. Trump was speaking to reporters before heading into bilateral meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The U.S President acknowledged the explosive reports regarding his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while attempting to turn the focus towards the former U.S Vice President. Trump claimed he withheld the financial aid meant to help defend Ukraine from Russia not due to he needed the country to launch an investigation into Biden.

Trump said he needed to see other European countries contribute more money to Ukraine. He added, “I want Germany, and I want France, and I want the European Union to put up money”. It is noteworthy that Trump’s order was first reported by The Washington Post and later confirmed by various outlets. An influential group of freshmen Democrats who served in the military and national security before winning office said on Monday night the president’s actions cut to the core of the country’s defenses. Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong and has denied that any requests for help in procuring damaging information regarding Biden were tied to the aid freeze. Democrats and some Republicans urged the White House to be open regarding his actions.

More than a dozen Democrats, including some in House leadership, added their names to those calling for impeachment proceedings. The president hinted that a transcript from his call may soon be provided to the public. On Monday, the U.S Congress pressed for full disclosure of a whistle-blower’s complaint regarding Trump and pushed the White House to release a transcript of the call. Trump informed reporters, “It’s very important to talk about corruption. If you don’t talk about corruption, why would you give money to a country that you think is, is corrupt”?