Is this a revised version of the coercion call ? Doesnt seem much wrong in it.
Its not a different call altogether is it ?
Yes, it's Trump's first call with Zelensky. As I understand it, there have been goalpost-moving contentions that the "quid pro quo" in the second call is based on statements in the first call. In other words, that the two calls collectively establish a quid pro quo. Thus, the release of this transcript in response to that.
The BBC are telling me that this transcript is at variance with the original White House account of the call
Which is accurate?
Posted at 15:2315:23
One call, two versions
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter
On Thursday morning, the White House released a rough transcript of Donald Trump’s first phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 21 April.
In it, the two exchanged pleasantries. Trump congratulated Zelensky on his election and suggested the possibility of a White House visit. Zelensky invited the US president to his inauguration in Kyiv, and plugged his country’s delicious food and hospitality. Trump agreed, citing his experience with Ukrainians in his days as a beauty pageant impresario.
The White House summary of the conversation released at the time, however, paints a different picture. It said Trump “noted” that the Ukrainian election had been conducted in a fair and open process. It said he “underscored the unwavering support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
And it said Trump had told Zelensky that the two would work together “to implement reforms that strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption”.
None of those things happened.
It raises questions about why Trump didn’t talk about corruption or endorse Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the call, particularly given Ukraine’s history of prosecutorial misconduct and Russian support for insurgents fighting Ukrainians in the nation’s eastern border region. The summary may have been what the US foreign policy team wanted the president to emphasise, but he did not.
The White House regularly produces summaries of the president’s conversations with foreign leaders. The disparities between the April Ukrainian summary and the actual conversation may leave many Americans – and foreign leaders – wondering how much credence to place in those documents.
