(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump took aim at a familiar target in his July phone conversation with Ukraine’s leader: German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Before entreating President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump took a swipe at Europeans, and Germany in particular.
The U.S. does “much more than European countries” for the former Soviet republic, he said, adding “Germany does almost nothing for you” -- “all they do is talk.”
“When I was speaking to Angela Merkel she talks Ukraine, but she doesn’t do anything,” Trump told Zelenskiy according to a declassified rough transcript of the July 25 phone call.
A Merkel spokesman declined to comment.
Trump made the assertion even after he had halted military aid before the phone call.
Zelenskiy responded that Trump was “absolutely right,” himself criticizing Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron for not doing enough to enforce sanctions against Russia, which backs separatists in eastern Ukraine.
“I did talk to Angela Merkel and I did meet with her," the Ukrainian leader said. "I also met and talked with Macron and I told them that they are not doing quite as much as they need to be doing on the issues with the sanctions.”
Germany and France have led efforts to broker peace in eastern Ukraine as part of the 2015 agreement with Russia known as the Minsk accord. Far from increasing military aid to Ukraine, Merkel has steadfastly opposed such shipments, insisting the move would only compound an armed conflict with Russian forces.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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