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November 15, 2019 As Donald Trump himself had anticipated in recent days, the White House today published the transcript of a first phone call between the American president and Volodymyr Zelensky on the occasion of his election, on April 21 last year, to the presidency of Ukraine. The text was released just before the start of the second public hearing of the House impeachment investigation for the Kievgate. The call, made by Air Force One, appears little more than a ritual cordiality: Trump congratulates Zelensky for the victory at the polls and promises to send an American representative to the ceremony for his inauguration in Kiev. "I think you will do a great job," says the head of the White House, "I have many friends in Ukraine who know you and appreciate you." Zelensky, for his part, defines Trump as "a great example".

Former American ambassador in Kiev: "The US strategy on Ukraine has been thrown into chaos"
Public hearings for the impeachment procedure of US President Donald Trump continue for the second day, with the testimony in the Chamber of the former ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. Witnesses who have already deposed said that the diplomat was removed after a campaign against her which also included Trump's special lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who was accused of contributing to the magnate's efforts to push Kiev to investigate his political rival , Joe Biden. Yovanovitch, a respected career diplomat, was removed from office in May. His testimony, as in previous public hearings, is broadcast live on TV.

"The US political strategy on Ukraine has been thrown into chaos": it is the indictment of the former American ambassador in Kiek. "It is difficult to understand how it was possible that private interests abroad were able to damage the interests of the United States," said Yovanovitch, reiterating how a slanderous campaign by Rudolph Giuliani was set up against her. Trump's personal lawyer.

"The Yovanovitch ambassador served our national interests in fighting corruption in Ukraine," said Intelligence commission chairman Adam Schiff, who monitors the investigation, in opening statements. "But it was considered an obstacle to the advancement of the president's political and personal agenda. For this reason it was tarnished and set aside," he added. Devin Nunes, Republican in the committee, played down the Democrats' investigations as "Watergate fantasies".

Yovanovitch, who had asked Kiev to do more against corruption, in his closed-door testimony last month said he was "shocked" at learning about Giuliani's secret shadow to put pressure on Ukraine. She then said that she had been advised to "watch her back" after she said she would not take part in this scheme, and that a Ukrainian official who had met Giuliano wanted "to hurt her".

The diplomat said she was ousted in May for "false accusations" spread by questionable characters allied to Trump. He then said he feared reprisals, especially after he learned that Trump in the July 25 call with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky described it as "bad news" and said "it would go through some things".

State Department diplomat George Kent, who testified Wednesday at Congress, called himself "alarmed" when he saw the first implications of the campaign against Yovanovitch. He added: it led to the expulsion of the ambassador and "undermined US efforts to establish a relationship with the new Zelensky administration in Kiev". Also testifying Wednesday was the top US diplomat in Ukraine, William Taylor, who spoke of a previously unknown phone call between Trump and another diplomat, regarding the "irregular" political channel with Kiev. Taylor said that an employee of the embassy in Kiev heard the call between the Republican and the EU ambassador, Gordon Sondland, in which the former asked about the status of the "investigation". That collaborator, David Holmes, testifies today (Friday) behind closed doors about the contents of the call, of which Trump says he has no memory.

Trump: "Wherever Marie Yovanovitch was, it went wrong"
"Wherever Marie Yovanovitch was, it went wrong. She started in Somalia, how did it go? So she quickly advanced to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian president spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is an absolute right of President of the United States to appoint ambassadors, they call him "in the service of the president." The United States now has a very strong and powerful foreign policy, very different from the proceeding administrations. It is simply called America First! I did MUCH more for Obama's Ukraine. " Thus the American president, Donald Trump, on Twitter while the House is witnessing the testimony of the former US ambassador to Ukraine.