In comments published on Tuesday, Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas claimed that Ukraine's refusal to investigate Joe Biden while running for president prevented then-President Donald Trump from seeking a second term, and Russian military advances. stopped.
The comment was made for author and investigative journalist Vicky Ward, who became a central figure in the scandal that led to Trump's impeachment in 2019.
Parnas said in the interview, which was published in Ward's Substack newsletter, that the U.S. If Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pressured Trump to launch an investigation into Biden over his son Hunter Biden's business deals, so would the situation in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Very different.
"I believe the fact remains that Zelensky saved Ukraine and the world," Parnas said. "Because I believe that if Zelensky had announced and announced an investigation into Joe Biden, it would have had a huge impact in the United States, and Trump is likely to win."
In 2019, Trump was impeached on charges of withholding military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Zelensky to launch a politically damaging investigation into Biden. Trump was approved by the Senate.
Lev Parnas in court
As a business associate of Rudy Giuliani, who was attempting to strike a deal with Zelensky outside traditional diplomatic channels, Parnas became embroiled in the case. In 2021, Parnas was found guilty of federal campaign finance violations along with co-defendant Andrey Kukushkin.
In recent weeks, Russia has built up troops along its border with Ukraine in preparation for an invasion of the former Soviet republic. Parnas said in the interview that if Trump wins the 2020 election, Ukraine will have to face more problems.
"Trump had zero respect for Ukraine," Parnas said. "I believe they would have given Ukraine to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in exchange for a gas or oil deal." As a result, Ukraine was saved by Zelensky's refusal to fold."
Parnas said he agreed with the assessment that Putin is attempting to re-establish the Soviet Union's borders, but is being withdrawn by the United States.
"As a result, Putin never had a window of opportunity," Pernas explained. “However, after Trump took office, Putin essentially got what he wanted. Trump’s poor grasp of world politics, his admiration for Putin, and his efforts to dismantle NATO, made him a gift. met.
Parnas said that despite Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, Trump asked Zelensky to make amends with Putin when they met.
Despite the fact that Russian troops are stationed near the border with Ukraine, Parnas believes Putin has no reason to attack. He said Putin does not want bloodshed between the two countries, nor does he want to create "another Afghanistan" by engaging in the vast country.
Putin, on the other hand, continues to win, according to him. According to Parnas, Zelensky had to dismiss Biden's alarmist statements about an invasion that sparked a dispute between the two countries and made Ukraine less attractive for business.