Two of Trump's sources for forming his opinion on Ukraine were regional authoritarians with open hostility for the administration in Kiev
Photo: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images The president has long derided the members of his own intelligence community, ignoring their briefings, attacking their credibility if their findings break with his perspective, and generally preferring a cable-TV feedback loop to their expert witness. According to a report in the Washington Post, Trump has finally swung to the opposite end of the spectrum, seeking counsel from sources hoping to undermine U.S. foreign interests.
In a May 3 call, Trump asked Putin about his impressions of Zelensky, according to a Western official familiar with the conversation. Putin said that he had not yet spoken with Zelensky but derided him as a comedian with ties to an oligarch despised by the Kremlin … Senior U.S. diplomats said they had limited insight into the private conversation between Trump and Orban, let alone how Trump’s views of Ukraine have formed. But one official familiar with the encounter said that it became “clear that the meeting with Orban had solidified” Trump’s pessimistic view about Kyiv and Zelensky.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mulvaney again denies Trump-Ukraine quid pro quoActing White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has aggressively denied that he admitted last week a quid pro quo between President Trump and Ukraine, saying again that he was misunderstood and that no such agreement occurred
Read more »
New York Times: Trump leaning toward keeping few hundred US troops in SyriaPresident Trump is leaning toward approving a new Pentagon plan to keep a small contingent of American troops in eastern Syria, perhaps 200 special operations forces, a senior administration official told The New York Times
Read more »
Mulvaney walks back his remarks that Trump held up Ukraine aid for political reasonsMulvaney on Thursday: 'I was involved with the process by which the money was held up temporarily, OK? Three issues for that...' Mulvaney on Sunday: 'There were two reasons that we held up the aid.'
Read more »
Washington Post: Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister disparaged Ukraine to TrumpPresident Donald Trump's urging of Ukraine's President to investigate political rivals coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pushing a disparaging view of the country to Trump, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
Read more »
Manhattan DA, Trump lawyers strike deal that could fast-track Trump taxes fight to SCOTUS
Read more »
Manhattan D.A., Trump lawyers strike deal to speed fight over Trump tax returns to Supreme CourtEight years of financial records are being sought in a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization about hush money payments made to two women.
Read more »