Nov 8, 2019 - Politics & Policy

NYT: Ukraine planned to announce investigations into Russia probe, Bidens

Volodymyr Zelensky at an October press conference in Kiev. Photo: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Ukrainian president's staff planned for him to announce investigations into the Bidens and the origins of the Russia probe in a Sept. 13 interview with CNN host Fareed Zakaria, the New York Times reports.

Driving the news: The Trump administration gave Ukraine military aid it had previously withheld two days before the scheduled interview, per the Times. Two U.S. senators reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in September that only President Trump "could unlock" the $400 million in military aid and "time was running out."

Zelensky’s staff "quickly canceled the interview" after receiving military aid from the U.S., the Times reports.

Why it matters: Zelensky was poised to capitulate to what House impeachment committee members and several witnesses have accused Trump of doing — withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government into announcing investigations into the Bidens and the origins of the Russia probe.

Go deeper: Official testifies Trump wanted Ukraine's Zelensky to mention "Clinton"

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