The Washington Post has released the transcript of the conversation between the leaders of the U.S. Republican Party on Russia`s interference in the U.S. elections, Donald Trump`s attitude to Putin and the attitude of American politicians toward Ukraine.
WP notes that those recorded included Kevin McCarthy, Cathy McMorris Rogers, Paul Ryan and Patrick McHenry. Journalists failed to identify one of the interlocutors.
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At the beginning of the conversation, politicians mention the meetings with Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman with Senator McCarthy and the Speaker of the U.S. Congress Paul Ryan. They praised Groysman and noted that he is an ”anti-corruption guy.”
They also said that the Ukrainian prime minister was working on the amendments to the Constitution to create an independent judiciary.
Then the American politicians went on to discuss the situation in Ukraine as a whole.
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In particular, Rogers asked about the current situation in Ukraine.
”Well, the Russians are bombing them with 30-40 mm… um, um… shells a day and the people. Crimea is gone. And, they`re trying to clean up their government to show that they want to be western. So they`re trying to prove to the western world that they want to be western, or westernizing, so they can get support… ” Senator Ryan said.
In turn, Congresswoman McMorris Rogers said she was amazed during her last year`s visit to Ukraine by how the people there were fighting for their freedom and independence, while living on the front line.
Ryan also said that Groisman was asking him if the West had Ukraine fatigue.
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”People have said that they have Ukraine fatigue. And it`s really Russian fatigue because what Russia is doing is doing to us, financing our populists, financing people in our governments to undo our governments, you know, messing with our oil and gas energy, all the things Russia does to basically blow up our country, they`re just going to roll right through us and go to the Baltics and everyone else,” Ryan said referring to Groysman`s words.
”So we should not have Ukraine fatigue, we should have Russian fatigue,” Ryan stressed.
GOP leaders also noted Russia`s extensive propaganda efforts, saying that Moscow tries to ”turn Ukraine against itself.”
Kevin McCarthy also suggested there were ”two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump.”
