You're reading: Associated Press: Not so funny – Trump drama hobbles Ukraine’s comic-president

Associated Press: Not so funny – Trump drama hobbles Ukraine’s comic-president

By Associated Press.

Published Oct. 5, 2019 at 6:09 pm

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures during a news conference on Oct. 1, 2019, in Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader made a statement to brief the press regarding the just-approved ultimate edition of the so-called Steinmeier Formula regulating a possible local elections in Russian-occupied Donbas as part of the Minsk peace settlement.

Photo by Volodymyr Petrov

First the obsequious phone call, now the embarrassing text messages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troubles might be just beginning.

Revelations of how far Zelensky’s administration appeared willing to go to please U.S. President Donald Trump are depleting diplomatic capital he needs to end a deadly conflict with Russia, repair the Ukrainian economy and to improve his country’s corrupt reputation.