One of the documents describes Putin and senior officials overseeing proxy efforts to spread claims that Biden, as vice president, engaged in criminal activity in his dealings with Ukraine and Burisma. The document says operatives affiliated with the Russian government advanced these narratives with U.S. officials and other prominent figures, through personal interactions as well as audio and documentary releases via U.S. and Ukrainian outlets.
It goes on to say these figures were conspiring to intensify their efforts as the election approached, aiming to “orchestrate a high-profile corruption scandal” implicating Biden and the Democratic Party in order to help Trump win.
The document describes an intelligence assessment that Russian government-linked proxies were working to damage Biden’s candidacy ahead of the vote, relying in part on U.S. officials and other prominent people to amplify the narratives, though many of the people involved remain redacted in the public version.
In 2018, the Trump administration approved a landmark $47 million military sale of 210 Javelin missiles to Ukraine, marking the first time the U.S. provided lethal aid to the country. Additionally, in July of that year, the Pentagon released $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
In September 2018, President Trump signed into law a 2019 spending bill that included $250 million in Defense Department funding for direct military aid to Ukraine.
All of this came with strings attached, of course.
The Kushner/Witkoff draft proposal for a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine included a provision that the United States would receive “50 percent of profits” from the “venture” of rebuilding Ukraine’s destroyed infrastructure. Their view seems to be that peace is an asset to be leveraged and maximized.
Further… BlackRock had been enlisted to help build a strategy for what President Volodymyr Zelensky has called an $800 billion “prosperity plan.”
The meeting, held at BlackRock’s headquarters, kick-started work on identifying funding sources and investment priorities, according to three officials familiar with the conversation, who requested anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting. More details are expected to be unveiled this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
But in Kyiv and other European capitals, BlackRock’s role has generated more questions than answers, as the Trump administration steers plans for rebuilding Ukraine toward American business interests. Seven European and Ukrainian officials, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive talks, voiced doubts about BlackRock’s ability to attract the enormous investments envisioned. Some indicated that the firm’s involvement could turn away potential investors.
Crazy to think this is the shadowy hand of Vladimir Putin, when it has Trump’s immediate family and biggest American donors with their fingerprints all over it.
@UnderpantsWeevil @phutatorius Drop a load of drones on their heads filled with large bottles of ketchup.