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What President Trump Said

By the way, in terms of the money, it got there two or three weeks ahead of schedule, long before it was supposed to be there.

False. President Trump was wrong in asserting that his decision last year to suspend military assistance to Ukraine a key component in his impeachment and upcoming trial did not interfere with the schedule for delivering the aid.

The 2019 federal fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, the date by which all appropriated aid to Ukraine was supposed to be disbursed. But because of the freeze ordered by Mr. Trump, not all of the aid was spent before the deadline.

Congress had appropriated $391 million in military assistance to Ukraine $250 million from the Pentagon and $141 million from the State Department meant to be spent by the end of September. Though the Pentagon announced its plans to provide the aid in June, White House officials blocked its release in July. It remained frozen until mid-September, when Mr. Trump relented after pressure from lawmakers and administration officials.

With just two weeks left in the fiscal year, the Pentagon was unable to fully disburse the funds. According to testimony from Mark Sandy, an official in the Office of Management and Budget, about $35 million was left unspent. Congress then extended the deadline to the 2020 fiscal year to allow for the disbursement of the remaining aid.

Had that provision not been included, then any unobligated funds as of Sept. 30 would have expired, Mr. Sandy said.

What Mr. Trump Said

We have thousands of ISIS prisoners that were keeping right now under lock and key. And we want Europe to take many of these prisoners because they came from Germany, France and other places probably a few from Greece, in all fairness.

This is exaggerated. Estimates from Mr. Trumps own administration show that he is overstating the share of Islamic State fighters who hail from Europe.

James F. Jeffrey, the State Departments special envoy for Syria, said in August that about 8,000 ISIS fighters from Syria and Iraq and another 2,000 foreign fighters were being detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the loose coalition of militias fighting the terrorist group.

Of those foreign fighters, about 800 are European and the rest are from former Soviet republics, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, according to a Pentagon inspector general report from August. The report and other analysts have noted that many of those places are hesitant to repatriate their citizens, fearing political backlash or hurdles in prosecution.

As for Mr. Trumps contention that a few ISIS fighters are Greek nationals, the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project concluded that the number was not well documented but said that Greece had been used as a transit point for fighters of European origin. A July report from the London-based International Center for the Study of Radicalization estimated that women and children affiliated with the Islamic State numbered about 6,600 from Western Europe but none from Greece.

Mr. Trump previously received pushback from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, when he told Mr. Macron in December that many fighters come from France.

Lets be serious, Mr. Macron said accurately. The very large numbers of fighters on the ground are the fighters coming from Syria, from Iraq.

Other claims

Mr. Trump also revived claims that The New York Times has previously fact-checked, including his often repeated falsehood that he opposed the Iraq war in the first place (he did not) and his exaggerated contention that European countries are not contributing assistance to Ukraine (they do).

Curious about the accuracy of a claim? Email factcheck@nytimes.com.

Link:
Trump Falsely Claims That Ukraine Aid Arrived Ahead of Schedule - The New York Times

A Canadian couple meant to board the doomed Ukraine International Airlines flight together on Tuesday was split up after a ticketing mix-up, leaving Mohsen Ahmadipour in the airport, while his wife Roja Azadian boarded the plane. The Ottawa Citizen reports Azadian and Ahmadipour were visiting their families in Iran, and planned to return to Ottawa. However, when they arrived at the airport Ahmadipour found out that his ticket was no longer valid when he went to check in, according to the Citizen. Kevin Manesh, a veterinarian and public relations director of the Iranian Arts and Cultural Society of Ottawa, told the Citizen that Ahmadipour waited at the airport while Azadian got aboard the Boeing 737, where he later learned of the crash from inside the terminal. Right now, he is stuck in the airport. He couldnt get on the plane. His wife could get on the plane, unfortunately, Manesh said. He was the lucky person who didnt get on the plane. Azadian, 43, was among the 63 Canadians who died when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board Tuesday.

See the article here:
Ticket Mix-Up Leaves Wife on Doomed Ukraine Airlines Flight and Husband Inside Tehran Airport - The Daily Beast

PARIS (AP) The presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed Monday to revive the peace process on the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and exchange all their prisoners, but they failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline on local elections and control of the borders in the rebel-held region.

At the first meeting between new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two leaders failed to find a compromise to bring an end to the 5-year-old war that has killed 14,000 people, emboldened the Kremlin and reshaped European geopolitics.

But they did agree to try again in four months to find new solutions, said French President Emmanuel Macron, who mediated the talks along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and called them fruitful in that it brought all four leaders together.

There are disagreements, especially on timeline and next steps. We had a very long discussion on this, Macron said at a news conference after the talks in the Elysee palace.

The talks focused on reviving a largely stalled 2015 peace agreement intended to end fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Putin said they agreed that there was no alternative to the 2015 accord reached in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. He emphasized that Ukraine should quickly extend a law giving wide autonomy to the rebel-held regions in line with the deal and also approve a legislation granting amnesty to the rebels.

He added that in addition to the prisoner swap, agreement was reached to continue pulling back troops in other areas in the east, clear mines there and remove fortifications.

Zelenskiy acknowledged many previous cease-fire deals didnt hold but he added that this time we agreed to treat it seriously.

Im convinced that if all parties want it strongly, we will be able to implement it, he said.

Ukraine and Russia conducted several rounds of prisoner exchange, most recently in September. Mondays deal goes further, envisaging a blanket all for all exchange of all known prisoners held by Ukraine and the rebels.

Zelenskiy made a particular emphasis on that.

I would very much like our people to come home in time to spend the New Year holidays with their families, Zelenskiy said after the talks.

But there was little clarity on the key contentious issues autonomy for the east and control of the border.

Russia wanted the summit to increase pressure on Zelenskiy to fulfill the 2015 Minsk peace accord, which promises wide autonomy to Ukraines rebel-held regions.

The Minsk deal puts forth that Ukraine can regain control over the border with Russia in the separatist-held regions only after they are granted a broad self-rule and hold local elections.

In particular, it stipulates that the Ukrainian law should allow municipal authorities in the east to appoint judges and prosecutors in the region and form local police. It notes that the law should also provide for an amnesty for those who took part in the fighting. Those provisions were anathema to many in Ukraine.

The 2015 deal was a diplomatic coup for Russia, ensuring that the rebel regions get a broad authority and resources to survive on their own without cross-border support.

Zelenskiy wants to tweak the timeline laid out in the accord, which calls for Ukraine to be able to regain control of its border with Russia only after local elections are held in the separatist regions and the regions receive autonomous status. He says Ukraine must get control of its border first before local elections are held, but the Kremlin insists thats not an option.

The summit was the biggest test yet for Zelenskiy, a comic actor and political novice who won the presidency this year in a landslide partly on promises to end the war.

Macron praised Zelenskiys courage and determination, adding that he made gestures that allowed peace talks to be relaunched.

Today an important step was made. Thats the first time in three years such a summit is being held,Macron said. Thats the first time President Zelenskiy and President Putin are meeting... and we have tangible results.

A major breakthrough at the Paris talks had been seen as unlikely, and Ukrainian protesters in Kyiv had put pressure on their new leader not to surrender too much to Putin, who has been in office nearly 20 years.

But the fact that Putin and Zelenskiy met at all was a significant step after years of war. Putin and Zelenskiy faced each other across the table, flanked by Macron and Merkel. Putin and Zelenskiy also held a separate one-on-one meeting.

While opinion surveys have shown an overwhelming support for Zelenskiys peace efforts, a minority opposing them is highly-mobilized and energetic. Thousands rallied on Kyivs man square Sunday to warn him against making any concessions, and some set up a tent camp around his headquarters. Cries of shame! and whistles of derision greeted announcements from the leaders news conference in Paris.

We didnt see any real steps Putin did not promise control of the border or the withdrawal of his troops, 38-year-old demonstrator Nina Onufrik said.

Despite the 2015 peace agreement, Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists have continued to exchange fire.

Germany and France helped to broker the Minsk accord, in hopes of ending a conflict on Europes eastern edge that has complicated relations with Russia, a powerful trading partner and diplomatic player.

But with progress stalled, the leaders havent met since 2016. Ukraine and Russia struck a prisoner exchange deal in September and agreed on a troop and heavy weapons pullback from two locations in eastern Ukraine. Russia has also released three Ukrainian navy ships that were seized a year ago.

While Zelenskiy still enjoys broad public support, he has been embarrassed by the scandal around his discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump that have unleashed an impeachment inquiry in Washington. The U.S. is an important military backer for Ukraine, which is hugely out-gunned by Russia.

While the U.S. was never part of this peace process, U.S. backing has strengthened Ukraines overall negotiating position with Russia in the past. Now that support is increasingly in doubt, after the Trump administration froze military aid earlier this year and is increasingly focused on Trumps re-election bid. With U.S. influence waning around the world, many in Kyiv see one clear winner: Russia.

Russia denies providing troops and weapons to help the separatists but has maintained political support and sent aid. It argues that people in eastern Ukraine feel stronger cultural and linguistic ties with Russia than with Western-leaning Kyiv.

The Kremlin hopes that an end to the conflict could also lead to the eventual lifting of EU sanctions against Russia linked to the fighting, which European businesses have pushed for. The EU and U.S. imposed separate sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

The EU is expected to extend sanctions this week by another six months. Arriving for meetings in Brussels on Monday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: At the moment I see no grounds to change anything in the European Unions sanctions policy toward Russia in this matter. It would be good if we could get there at some point.

Macron and Merkel said they agreed to intensify the monitoring by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is now only active for 12 hours a day and conduct it 24 hours a day.

___

Karmanau reported from Kyiv. Sylvie Corbet and Angela Charlton in Paris, Inna Varenytsia in eastern Ukraine, Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

Read the original:
Russia, Ukraine to revive peace process amid little progress - The Associated Press

10/30/2019, Washington DC. FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee on global terrorism and threats to the homeland on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Oct. 30, 2019. (Photo: Eric P Kruszewski, for USA TODAY)

WASHINGTON FBI Director Christopher Wray said there was no indicationthat Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. election, contradicting claims made by President Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers in recent weeks.

"We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election," he said in an ABC News interview aired on Monday.

When asked if he's concerned about the impact of politicians pushing the discreditedclaim that Ukraine interfered, Wray demurred, saying, "There's all kinds of people saying all kinds of things out there."

"I think it's important for the American people to be thoughtful consumers of information and to think about the sources of it and to think about the support and predication for what they hear," he added.

His comments come a day after a testy exchange between NBC News'"Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who said he believed there was "considerable evidence" that "Ukraine blatantly interfered in our election" alongside Russia.

Cruz pointed to an op-ed by a former Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. as evidence of meddling, but Todd noted that it was entirely different from Russia's interference, which Special Counsel Robert Mueller called a "sweeping and systematic" effort to tip the election in Trump's favor.

More: How to stay updated on USA TODAY's impeachment coverage

Several Ukrainian officials voicedconcern in 2016 about then-candidate Trump's friendly statements toward Russia and its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Cruz is one of several lawmakers including Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.,who have raised the idea that both Ukraine and Russia meddled in 2016 as they try to mount a defense for Trump in the ongoing impeachment inquiry. House Democrats are drawing up articles of impeachment over allegations that Trump sought to pressure Ukraine to open two investigations that politically benefited him.

The president's allies argue that Ukraine's potential interference gave himample reason to ask for the investigations. But while lawmakershave said there's no dispute that Russia interfered, Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giulianihave promoted a theory that Ukraine - not Russia - was behind the 2016 meddling.

During his July25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump made reference to a conspiracy theory that Ukraine - not Russia - stole emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign.

When asked about the president raising the conspiracy theory, Wray again repeated the FBI has "no information to indicate that Ukraine tried to interfere" in the election.

Some Republicans have criticized their colleagues for equating Russia's sophisticated cyberattack and social media campaign with Ukrainian disapproval of Trump's remarks.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.,told Politicothat "its important to distinguish op-eds" from "the systemic effort to undermine our election systems."

"Theres no way to compare any other efforts to what Russia did in 2016," Rubio said. "Theres nothing that compares, not even in the same universe.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah,a vocal critic of Trump, told reporters last week, "It's one thing to pull for the candidate. It's another thing to interfere as Russia did.

Contributed: William Cummings

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/09/fbi-director-wray-says-no-indication-ukraine-interference-2016-election/4380050002/

Read more:
FBI Director Wray shoots down Ukraine interference claim pushed by Trump and GOP - USA TODAY

The leaders of Russia and Ukraine agreed early on Tuesday to exchange all remaining prisoners from the conflict in east Ukraine and to implement a full and comprehensive ceasefire by the end of 2019.

A number of difficult questions about the regions status have been left for future talks.

Russias Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in their first face-to-face meeting, took part in nine hours of talks in Paris, brokered by French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine that broke out in 2014 has killed more than 13,000 people, left a large swathe of Ukraine de facto controlled by Moscow-backed separatists and aggravated the deepest east-west rift since the Cold War.

The body language between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskiy, a comedian-turned-politician elected earlier this year on a promise to resolve the conflict, was chilly.

There was no public handshake, and they avoided eye contact.But the talks did deliver specific commitments.

A final communique set out the prisoner exchange and a renewed commitment to implement an existing ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraines Donbass region that has never fully taken hold as well as enhanced powers for international ceasefire monitors.

The sides also said they had agreed, over the next four months, to work towards local elections in Donbass, a major stumbling block up to now.

There were no details though on how the votes would be conducted, and Mr Macron acknowledged there were still disagreements on the subject.

We have made progress on disengagement, prisoner exchanges, ceasefire and a political evolution, Mr Macron said at a news conference at which Mr Zelenskiy and Mr Putin sat separated by Ms Merkel and Mr Macron. We have asked our ministers in the coming four months to work on this.

In addition, Mr Zelenskiy said he and Mr Putin had worked out the outline of an agreement that would allow the transit of Russian natural gas to continue across Ukrainian soil. He gave no details. A member of the Russian delegation said officials had been instructed to hammer out details.

However, there was no definitive agreement on the political issues that stand in the way of resolving the conflict. These include the status of Donbass within Ukraine and who should de facto control the border between Donbass and Russia.

Another round of talks in the so-called Normandy format, brokered by France and Germany, will be held within four months.

Ukraines industrial Donbass region spun out of Kievs control in 2014, soon after street protests ousted a pro-Moscow leader in the Ukrainian capital and Russia sent in armed men to seize Ukraines Black Sea Crimea region.

A 2015 ceasefire deal was signed in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. But fighting still flares up in Donbass four years on, and a peace deal has been elusive. Mondays summit was the first time the four leaders have met under the Normandy format since 2016.

Many Ukrainians are concerned about compromising with Russia. They see Mr Putin as an aggressor seeking to restore the Kremlins influence on the former Soviet republic and ruin Ukraines aspiration for closer European ties.

Protesters who have warned Mr Zelenskiy about making concessions to Mr Putin in Paris were camped outside the presidential administration in Kiev, watching the summit news conference on a big screen.

Mr Zelenskiy, who sparred verbally with Russian journalists at the news conference, said he had given no ground on Ukraines sovereignty or territorial integrity. He said he and Putin had disagreed on several issues.

Asked who triumphed in their exchanges, Mr Zelenskiy said: I dont know who (beat) who. I think it would be appropriate to be diplomatic as weve just started talking. Lets say for now its a draw.

Mr Putin, for his part, is unwilling to be seen to bend to outside pressure over eastern Ukraine, and he does not want to be seen to be leaving the Russian-speaking population of Donbass at the mercy of the Kiev government.

He expressed only cautious hope for the peace talks. All this gives us the grounds to suppose that the process is developing in the right direction, he said. - Reuters

See the rest here:
Ukraine and Russia agree to ceasefire and to exchange prisoners - The Irish Times