Trump allegedly put pressure on Zelensky
US President Donald Trump reportedly pressed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call to launch an investigation against the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Trump apparently promised Zelensky something in return, but it is not known what. Commentator discuss the consequences of the affair for Biden and Zelensky.
Biden has good reason to hold back
The whole affair doesn't shine a good light on Joe Biden either, the Süddeutsche Zeitung points out:
“During the very years when Biden was responsible for US policy vis-à-vis Kiev, a shady Ukrainian gas company paid his son Hunter (who knows nothing either about the gas business or about Ukraine) huge amounts of money. By Washington standards this was corruption, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary. But Hillary Clinton also thought voters would simply tolerate such things - with disastrous consequences. It's no coincidence that of all people one Democrat isn't saying much at all about an impeachment [against Trump]: Joe Biden.”
Ukrainian president in a dilemma
The demands Trump has made of his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky place the latter in a dilemma ahead of his visit to the US, writes Alexandra Kharchenko on the website strana.ua:
“Zelensky is in a very difficult position because during his stay in the US he will certainly have to answer the question of whether Trump really did exert pressure on him. If he says this was the case, he can forget his good relations with the US president. But if he says he wasn't under pressure, the Democrats will accuse him of wanting to play into Trump's hands. And then the media with close ties to the Democrats will launch a campaign against him.”