Democratic attorney-at-law Dan Goldman asked Alexander Vindman, the assistant to the National Security Council, why the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was so interested in receiving an invitation to the White House after he assumed the presidency earlier this year.
Here is what he said:
“Supporting President Zelensky, a still openly new political figure on the Ukrainian political scene, striving to establish himself as a regional and, possibly, even a world leader, shows that he would like to meet with the States, the most powerful country in the world and the most significant philanthropist of Ukraine for implementing its agenda”, – said Vindman.
Why this is important: Many witnesses told impeachment investigators that the Trump administration held the White House meeting to force Zelensky to announce an investigation into the Biden case. This is part of the accusation that the “quid pro quo” attempt was made between the Trump administration and Ukraine.
Zelensky has not yet been to the White House, although he met with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. At that meeting, he denied that he felt any pressure from Trump.