<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-heads-to-italy-amid-reports-that-he-took-part-in-trump-zelenskiy-phone-call-252916">US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo</a> confirmed Wednesday that he listened in on the phone call that is at the heart of the impeachment probe against President Donald Trump.

"I was on the call," Pompeo told a news conference in Rome.

It was Pompeo's first public comment on whether he had heard Trump ask the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter in the July 25 call.

Pompeo did not say what was discussed in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whistleblower-white-house-intervened-after-trump-ukraine-call-252228">Trump's half-hour conversation</a> with Volodymyr Zelensky.

He also again lambasted Democratic congressional leaders pressing for quick testimony from five State Department diplomats as part of their probe of the Ukraine scandal now threatening the Trump presidency.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Wednesday that he listened in on the phone call that is at the heart of the impeachment probe against President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Wednesday that he listened in on the phone call that is at the heart of the impeachment probe against President Donald Trump. "I was on the call," Pompeo told a news conference in Rome. It was Pompeo's first public comment on whether he had heard Trump ask the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter in the July 25 call. Pompeo did not say what was discussed in Trump's half-hour conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky. He also again lambasted Democratic congressional leaders pressing for quick testimony from five State Department diplomats as part of their probe of the Ukraine scandal now threatening the Trump presidency.

'I was on the call,' says Pompeo on Trump call to Ukraine leader

Ukraine must investigate the activities of US presidential candidate Joe Biden`s son to establish whether his role in a Ukrainian gas company complied with the country`s laws, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine`s former prime minister, said in an interview.

Azarov did not specify to which Ukrainian laws he was referring.

Hunter Biden`s role in the company, Burisma Holdings Limited, is in focus after the White House published a memo showing US President Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a July phone call to get prosecutors to look into his activities. Zelenskiy agreed.

"It`s a fact (his directorship and fees) and not made up. It should be investigated so that the `i`s can be dotted and the `t`s crossed," Azarov told Reuters.

A spokesperson for Joe Biden`s campaign declined to comment on Azarov`s investigation call and none of Hunter Biden`s critics have provided any evidence that he broke Ukrainian law.

Ukraine`s National Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Friday it was investigating activity at Burisma between 2010-2012, but that it was not looking into changes to its board in 2014, when Hunter Biden joined.

Democrats in the US House of Representatives are pursuing an impeachment inquiry against Trump, a Republican, after a whistleblower complained about his call with Zelenskiy. Lawmakers are looking into whether Trump`s actions jeopardised national security and the integrity of US elections, saying he appeared to be soliciting a political favour from a foreign leader to get re-elected.

Azarov lives in Moscow, but says he remains well-connected with parts of Ukraine`s political establishment and would like to return one day. He did not provide further details.

Hunter Biden was a director on Burisma`s board from 2014 until at least 2018, according to documents filed by the company in Cyprus, where it is registered.

Azarov, who was prime minister from 2010-2014, is himself wanted by Ukrainian authorities for alleged abuse of power. An Interpol red notice issued in 2015 at the request of Ukrainian authorities said he was wanted on accusations of charges including embezzlement and misappropriation.

Azarov denies any wrongdoing and Reuters cannot determine whether there is any active investigation on him.

Azarov said he was not aware of any evidence suggesting wrongdoing on Hunter Biden`s part, but said it was in the Ukrainian public interest to ascertain the legality of his activities.

In particular, he said it was important to investigate what Biden had done for Burisma to justify his fee.

The younger Biden has said he consulted for Burisma, but critics have suggested he was not doing actual work in return for his compensation, an allegation he denies.

"I think it`s essential (he`s investigated)," Azarov told Reuters in Moscow, where Azarov fled after street protests toppled Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovich in 2014.

"If, using his knowledge, he played an active role then there`s nothing scandalous about it," Azarov said. "But if he was simply on the books and getting money, then that could be seen as a violation of the law."

Burisma was not available for comment on Saturday night.

Ukrainian prosecutors have said they are not investigating Hunter Biden, but are looking into the legality of Burisma`s activities before Biden joined its board.

Azarov said he thought it was "absolute nonsense", but that he believed allegations from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others that Joe Biden had got Ukraine`s prosecutor general fired to protect his son Hunter must also be investigated.

The former US vice president has denied using his influence to get Ukraine`s prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, fired in 2016 to prevent him investigating his son`s involvement and has said he and his son have done nothing wrong.

Ukraine must investigate the activities of US presidential candidate Joe Biden`s son to establish whether his role in a Ukrainian gas company complied with the country`s laws, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine`s former prime minister, said in an interview.

Ukraine must investigate the activities of US presidential candidate Joe Biden`s son to establish whether his role in a Ukrainian gas company complied with the country`s laws, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine`s former prime minister, said in an interview. Azarov did not specify to which Ukrainian laws he was referring. Hunter Biden`s role in the company, Burisma Holdings Limited, is in focus after the White House published a memo showing US President Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a July phone call to get prosecutors to look into his activities. Zelenskiy agreed. "It`s a fact (his directorship and fees) and not made up. It should be investigated so that the `i`s can be dotted and the `t`s crossed," Azarov told Reuters. A spokesperson for Joe Biden`s campaign declined to comment on Azarov`s investigation call and none of Hunter Biden`s critics have provided any evidence that he broke Ukrainian law. Ukraine`s National Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Friday it was investigating activity at Burisma between 2010-2012, but that it was not looking into changes to its board in 2014, when Hunter Biden joined. Democrats in the US House of Representatives are pursuing an impeachment inquiry against Trump, a Republican, after a whistleblower complained about his call with Zelenskiy. Lawmakers are looking into whether Trump`s actions jeopardised national security and the integrity of US elections, saying he appeared to be soliciting a political favour from a foreign leader to get re-elected. Azarov lives in Moscow, but says he remains well-connected with parts of Ukraine`s political establishment and would like to return one day. He did not provide further details. Hunter Biden was a director on Burisma`s board from 2014 until at least 2018, according to documents filed by the company in Cyprus, where it is registered. Azarov, who was prime minister from 2010-2014, is himself wanted by Ukrainian authorities for alleged abuse of power. An Interpol red notice issued in 2015 at the request of Ukrainian authorities said he was wanted on accusations of charges including embezzlement and misappropriation. Azarov denies any wrongdoing and Reuters cannot determine whether there is any active investigation on him. Azarov said he was not aware of any evidence suggesting wrongdoing on Hunter Biden`s part, but said it was in the Ukrainian public interest to ascertain the legality of his activities. In particular, he said it was important to investigate what Biden had done for Burisma to justify his fee. The younger Biden has said he consulted for Burisma, but critics have suggested he was not doing actual work in return for his compensation, an allegation he denies. "I think it`s essential (he`s investigated)," Azarov told Reuters in Moscow, where Azarov fled after street protests toppled Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovich in 2014. "If, using his knowledge, he played an active role then there`s nothing scandalous about it," Azarov said. "But if he was simply on the books and getting money, then that could be seen as a violation of the law." Burisma was not available for comment on Saturday night. Ukrainian prosecutors have said they are not investigating Hunter Biden, but are looking into the legality of Burisma`s activities before Biden joined its board. Azarov said he thought it was "absolute nonsense", but that he believed allegations from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others that Joe Biden had got Ukraine`s prosecutor general fired to protect his son Hunter must also be investigated. The former US vice president has denied using his influence to get Ukraine`s prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, fired in 2016 to prevent him investigating his son`s involvement and has said he and his son have done nothing wrong.

Ukraine must investigate Joe Biden's son: Ex-Ukrainian PM

House Democrats subpoenaed Secretary of State <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whistleblower-in-donald-trump-ukraine-scandal-a-cia-officer-report-252276">Mike Pompeo</a> for Ukraine-related documents Friday as they plunged into an impeachment probe of President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whistleblower-white-house-intervened-after-trump-ukraine-call-252228">Donald Trump</a>.

The heads of three House committees gave Pompeo one week to produce the documents, saying a number of State Department officials have direct knowledge of Trump's efforts to enlist the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-defends-ukraine-support-after-trump-call-row-252242">Ukraine government's help in his domestic political campaign</a> for reelection.&nbsp;

"The Committees are investigating the extent to which President Trump jeopardised national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding security assistance provided by Congress to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression," they said.

"The subpoenaed documents shall be part of the impeachment inquiry and shared among the Committees. Your failure or refusal to comply with the subpoena shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House's impeachment inquiry," they wrote.

The subpoena came one day after the release of an intelligence official's bombshell whistleblower complaint that describes Trump pressuring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to supply dirt on Democratic political rival Joe Biden.

The complaint also describes the involvement of Trump's private lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who allegedly worked with several US diplomats to pressure Zelensky to help Trump by investigating Biden.

Biden, the former US vice president, is the &nbsp;Democratic frontrunner to battle Trump in next year's presidential election.

"It has become clear that multiple State Department officials have direct knowledge of the subject matters of the House's impeachment inquiry," the subpoena said.

The committees also told Pompeo they planned to depose five State Department officials in the next two weeks.

They include former ambassador to Ukraine Masha Yovanovitch, whom Trump reportedly forced out earlier this year for resisting his and Giuliani's efforts to pressure Kiev to probe Biden. 
&nbsp;

House Democrats subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for Ukraine-related documents Friday as they plunged into an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump.

House Democrats subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for Ukraine-related documents Friday as they plunged into an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump. The heads of three House committees gave Pompeo one week to produce the documents, saying a number of State Department officials have direct knowledge of Trump's efforts to enlist the Ukraine government's help in his domestic political campaign for reelection. "The Committees are investigating the extent to which President Trump jeopardised national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding security assistance provided by Congress to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression," they said. "The subpoenaed documents shall be part of the impeachment inquiry and shared among the Committees. Your failure or refusal to comply with the subpoena shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House's impeachment inquiry," they wrote. The subpoena came one day after the release of an intelligence official's bombshell whistleblower complaint that describes Trump pressuring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to supply dirt on Democratic political rival Joe Biden. The complaint also describes the involvement of Trump's private lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who allegedly worked with several US diplomats to pressure Zelensky to help Trump by investigating Biden. Biden, the former US vice president, is the Democratic frontrunner to battle Trump in next year's presidential election. "It has become clear that multiple State Department officials have direct knowledge of the subject matters of the House's impeachment inquiry," the subpoena said. The committees also told Pompeo they planned to depose five State Department officials in the next two weeks. They include former ambassador to Ukraine Masha Yovanovitch, whom Trump reportedly forced out earlier this year for resisting his and Giuliani's efforts to pressure Kiev to probe Biden.

House subpoenas Pompeo for Ukraine files in Donald Trump impeachment probe

The whistleblower whose complaint has shaken the <a href="Watch: Trump meets Ukraine's Zelensky at United Nations">foundations of Donald Trump's presidency</a> is a male officer of the Central Intelligence Agency who was seconded to the White House, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The man "was detailed to work at the White House at one point" but has since returned to the CIA, the Times said, citing three people familiar with his identity.

The complaint, which describes <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-president-zelensky-calls-controversial-donald-trump-call-normal-252078">Trump using his powers to pressure the Ukraine government</a> to find damaging information on Democratic political rival Joe Biden, "suggested he was an analyst by training and made clear he was steeped in details of American foreign policy toward Europe," the Times said.

Watch: Trump meets Ukraine's Zelensky at United Nations

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He also was clearly knowledgable about Ukrainian politics and Washington's relations with Kiev, which Trump is accused of manipulating to gain an advantage in next year's presidential election.

It was the first indication of the whistleblower's identity, other than previous statements saying it was either a man or a woman from the nearly million-strong intelligence community.

The person's identity is protected by US laws supporting officials who go through proper channels to report gross misconduct by their colleagues or superiors.

But the person is expected to testify soon behind closed doors in Congress, raising the prospect of exposure as more and more people to learn their identity.

The whistleblower whose complaint has shaken the foundations of Donald Trump's presidency is a male officer of the Central Intelligence Agency who was seconded to the White House, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The whistleblower whose complaint has shaken the foundations of Donald Trump's presidency is a male officer of the Central Intelligence Agency who was seconded to the White House, the New York Times reported Thursday. The man "was detailed to work at the White House at one point" but has since returned to the CIA, the Times said, citing three people familiar with his identity. The complaint, which describes Trump using his powers to pressure the Ukraine government to find damaging information on Democratic political rival Joe Biden, "suggested he was an analyst by training and made clear he was steeped in details of American foreign policy toward Europe," the Times said. Watch: Trump meets Ukraine's Zelensky at United Nations × He also was clearly knowledgable about Ukrainian politics and Washington's relations with Kiev, which Trump is accused of manipulating to gain an advantage in next year's presidential election. It was the first indication of the whistleblower's identity, other than previous statements saying it was either a man or a woman from the nearly million-strong intelligence community. The person's identity is protected by US laws supporting officials who go through proper channels to report gross misconduct by their colleagues or superiors. But the person is expected to testify soon behind closed doors in Congress, raising the prospect of exposure as more and more people to learn their identity.

Whistleblower in Donald Trump Ukraine scandal a CIA officer: Report

Chronology of events in the Trump phone call scandal

President Trump meets face to face with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for the first time today at the UN General Assembly.

Trump meets Ukraine's Zelensky at United Nations

Donald Trump, the United States President&nbsp;on Wednesday dismissed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-to-launch-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-ukraine-controversy-251842">impeachment enquiry</a> against him as a "joke", while Democrats stood firm in accusing him&nbsp;of a "mafia-style shakedown" of his Ukrainian counterpart.

Trump denied claims that he abused his office by repeatedly urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden - as confirmed in a call transcript released by the White House.

The next episode in the&nbsp;impeachment debacle&nbsp;is set for Thursday when Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph McGuire will testify at&nbsp;Capitol Hill.

"They are getting hit hard on this witch hunt because when they look at the information, it's a joke," said the President, at his first news conference since Democrats launched an official&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-begins-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-call-to-ukraine-leader-251866">impeachment inquiry.</a>

"Impeachment for that? When you have a wonderful meeting or you have a wonderful phone conversation?", he asked.

Trump had earlier insisted that he exerted "no pressure" on Zelensky, who appeared side-by-side with the US leader at a long-planned meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

As two competing narratives took hold, Republican Party's Senator Mitt Romney referred to the escalation as "deeply troubling."

Trump and his allies claimed that the July 25 call contained no evidence of a quid pro quo, pressuring Zelensky to probe the President's top Democratic rival for the White House.

"This is how a mafia boss talks," charged senior Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff.&nbsp;

"'What have you done for us? We've done so much for you but there's not much reciprocity. I have a favour to ask you. And what is that favour? Of course, the favour is to investigate his political rival, to investigate the Bidens", he added.

The call summary -&nbsp;which is not a verbatim transcript -&nbsp;has Trump saying that the&nbsp;US Attorney General Bill Barr and the President's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani would be in touch about probing the Ukraine-related activities of Biden and his son.

In announcing the impeachment probe, House Speaker <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pelosi-wasting-her-time-on-manufactured-crisis-says-trump-on-impeachment-inquiry-over-ukraine-controversy-252066">Nancy Pelosi</a> said Trump's actions amounted to a betrayal of his oath of office and of national security.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">Watch Video: Trump-Zelensky call row escalates</div>

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'A nothing call'

As Barack Obama's Vice President, Biden and other Western leaders pressured Ukraine to get rid of the country's top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because he was seen as not tough enough on corruption.

"There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great," Trump told Zelensky in the call.

"Biden went around bragging that he stopped the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-steps-up-donald-trump-impeachment-probe-248698">prosecution</a> so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me", he added.&nbsp;

The transcript did not show Trump explicitly tying aid to Ukraine to Zelensky probing Biden, which has fed the calls to impeach him.

But the two did discuss a major aid package, which had been frozen by Trump at the time and was only released in recent weeks.

The memo also shows Trump asking Zelensky for a "favour" on an issue unconnected to Biden -&nbsp;just after noting that the US had been "very, very good to Ukraine."

Analysts noted that the transcript uses ellipses -&nbsp;denoting words or entire passages are missing - on three occasions, all when Trump is making requests of Zelensky.

Others pointed out that it was supposed to summarize a 30-minute call, yet the transcript runs to around just 12 minutes.

"There was no pressure whatsoever," Trump told reporters earlier Wednesday, saying Democrats had built up the exchange as the "call from hell" but that "it&nbsp;turned out to be a nothing call."

Zelensky insisted meanwhile that he had not been "pushed" by Trump during the controversial call.

'Very troubling'

Faced with the possibility of being impeached, Trump has pushed back hard - branding the probe the "single greatest witch hunt in American history... a disgraceful thing."&nbsp;

Pelosi had for months resisted pressure from the party rank-and-file for impeachment, preferring to focus on next year's election fight.

But on Tuesday, she relented, 11 days after news that an anonymous US intelligence official had filed a whistleblower complaint on Trump's alleged double-dealing with Ukraine.

Democrats made clear the White House's release of the call record would not satisfy their investigation into whether the US leader broke the law, and the complaint has now been reviewed by lawmakers.

Top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters after reading the whistleblower complaint that "it's very troubling" -- an assessment echoed by Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who said that "there's obviously lots that is very troubling there."

Schumer later called in a statement for the contents of the complaint to be made public, saying: "The public has a right to read the whistleblower's complaint for themselves."

Donald Trump, the United States President on Wednesday dismissed the impeachment enquiry against him as a "joke", while Democrats stood firm in accusing him of a "mafia-style shakedown" of his Ukrainian counterpart.

Donald Trump, the United States President on Wednesday dismissed the impeachment enquiry against him as a "joke", while Democrats stood firm in accusing him of a "mafia-style shakedown" of his Ukrainian counterpart. Trump denied claims that he abused his office by repeatedly urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden - as confirmed in a call transcript released by the White House. The next episode in the impeachment debacle is set for Thursday when Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph McGuire will testify at Capitol Hill. "They are getting hit hard on this witch hunt because when they look at the information, it's a joke," said the President, at his first news conference since Democrats launched an official impeachment inquiry. "Impeachment for that? When you have a wonderful meeting or you have a wonderful phone conversation?", he asked. Trump had earlier insisted that he exerted "no pressure" on Zelensky, who appeared side-by-side with the US leader at a long-planned meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. As two competing narratives took hold, Republican Party's Senator Mitt Romney referred to the escalation as "deeply troubling." Trump and his allies claimed that the July 25 call contained no evidence of a quid pro quo, pressuring Zelensky to probe the President's top Democratic rival for the White House. "This is how a mafia boss talks," charged senior Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff. "'What have you done for us? We've done so much for you but there's not much reciprocity. I have a favour to ask you. And what is that favour? Of course, the favour is to investigate his political rival, to investigate the Bidens", he added. The call summary - which is not a verbatim transcript - has Trump saying that the US Attorney General Bill Barr and the President's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani would be in touch about probing the Ukraine-related activities of Biden and his son. In announcing the impeachment probe, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump's actions amounted to a betrayal of his oath of office and of national security. Watch Video: Trump-Zelensky call row escalates 'A nothing call' As Barack Obama's Vice President, Biden and other Western leaders pressured Ukraine to get rid of the country's top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because he was seen as not tough enough on corruption. "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great," Trump told Zelensky in the call. "Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me", he added. The transcript did not show Trump explicitly tying aid to Ukraine to Zelensky probing Biden, which has fed the calls to impeach him. But the two did discuss a major aid package, which had been frozen by Trump at the time and was only released in recent weeks. The memo also shows Trump asking Zelensky for a "favour" on an issue unconnected to Biden - just after noting that the US had been "very, very good to Ukraine." Analysts noted that the transcript uses ellipses - denoting words or entire passages are missing - on three occasions, all when Trump is making requests of Zelensky. Others pointed out that it was supposed to summarize a 30-minute call, yet the transcript runs to around just 12 minutes. "There was no pressure whatsoever," Trump told reporters earlier Wednesday, saying Democrats had built up the exchange as the "call from hell" but that "it turned out to be a nothing call." Zelensky insisted meanwhile that he had not been "pushed" by Trump during the controversial call. 'Very troubling' Faced with the possibility of being impeached, Trump has pushed back hard - branding the probe the "single greatest witch hunt in American history... a disgraceful thing." Pelosi had for months resisted pressure from the party rank-and-file for impeachment, preferring to focus on next year's election fight. But on Tuesday, she relented, 11 days after news that an anonymous US intelligence official had filed a whistleblower complaint on Trump's alleged double-dealing with Ukraine. Democrats made clear the White House's release of the call record would not satisfy their investigation into whether the US leader broke the law, and the complaint has now been reviewed by lawmakers. Top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters after reading the whistleblower complaint that "it's very troubling" -- an assessment echoed by Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who said that "there's obviously lots that is very troubling there." Schumer later called in a statement for the contents of the complaint to be made public, saying: "The public has a right to read the whistleblower's complaint for themselves."

Trump calls Democratic impeachment enquiry a 'joke'

The EU on Thursday defended the "unprecedented" support it has given to Ukraine after it emerged US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-bans-venezuelan-officials-from-us-boosts-aid-in-support-of-opposition-252092">Donald Trump</a> and his Ukrainian counterpart had attacked the bloc for not doing enough.

A spokesman for the European Commission, said the bloc had given <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-president-caught-in-trump-row-says-nobody-can-pressure-me-251999">Ukraine</a> more than 15 billion euros in grants and loans since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, calling it "the largest support package in the history of the EU."

The comments came after the White House released details of a July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the US leader said Europe should do more to help Kiev.

Zelensky, who came to power in May, said he agreed "1,000 percent" and claimed the US was "a much bigger partner" for his country than the EU.

Commission spokesman Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela said the EU was a "staunch supporter" of Ukraine and its efforts to reform.

"It is important to say that the European Union's support to Ukraine is unprecedented. In these five years we have put together for Ukraine the largest support package in the history of the European Union," he told a daily briefing.

"On military and security support in Ukraine, we fully and resolutely support Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty."

As well as financial and technical support, the EU has also backed Ukraine with a raft of sanctions linked to Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the continuing conflict against pro-Kremlin rebels in the country's east.

The EU on Thursday defended the "unprecedented" support it has given to Ukraine after it emerged US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart had attacked the bloc for not doing enough.

The EU on Thursday defended the "unprecedented" support it has given to Ukraine after it emerged US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart had attacked the bloc for not doing enough. A spokesman for the European Commission, said the bloc had given Ukraine more than 15 billion euros in grants and loans since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, calling it "the largest support package in the history of the EU." The comments came after the White House released details of a July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the US leader said Europe should do more to help Kiev. Zelensky, who came to power in May, said he agreed "1,000 percent" and claimed the US was "a much bigger partner" for his country than the EU. Commission spokesman Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela said the EU was a "staunch supporter" of Ukraine and its efforts to reform. "It is important to say that the European Union's support to Ukraine is unprecedented. In these five years we have put together for Ukraine the largest support package in the history of the European Union," he told a daily briefing. "On military and security support in Ukraine, we fully and resolutely support Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty." As well as financial and technical support, the EU has also backed Ukraine with a raft of sanctions linked to Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the continuing conflict against pro-Kremlin rebels in the country's east.

European Union defends Ukraine support after Trump call row

White House officials sought to restrict access to the transcript of a phone call between Donald Trump and the leader of Ukraine during which the US president sought help from Ukraine against a rival in the 2020 election, a whistleblower said in a complaint released Thursday.

"I have received information from multiple US government officials that the president of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 US election," the whistleblower, an unidentified intelligence community official, wrote in the complaint released by Congress.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-to-launch-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-ukraine-controversy-251842">US House to launch Trump impeachment inquiry over Ukraine controversy</a>

The whistleblower said White House officials had expressed alarm about the gravity of Trump's call with his Ukrainian counterpart, and that they told the whistleblower that they had likely "witnessed the president abuse his office for personal gain."

"In the days following the phone call, I learned from multiple US officials that senior White House officials had intervened to 'lock down' all records of the phone call," the whistleblower said.

"This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call," the whistleblower said in the complaint, which he or she described as a matter of "urgent concern."

"White House officials told me that they were 'directed' by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalization, and distribution to Cabinet-level officials," the whistleblower added.

In the transcript of the phone call released by the White House on Wednesday, Trump repeatedly asks the Ukrainian leader to help with an investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives has opened an impeachment inquiry to remove the president from office for abuse of power.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

White House officials sought to restrict access to the transcript of a phone call between Donald Trump and the leader of Ukraine during which the US president sought help from Ukraine against a rival in the 2020 election, a whistleblower said in a complaint released Thursday.

White House officials sought to restrict access to the transcript of a phone call between Donald Trump and the leader of Ukraine during which the US president sought help from Ukraine against a rival in the 2020 election, a whistleblower said in a complaint released Thursday. "I have received information from multiple US government officials that the president of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 US election," the whistleblower, an unidentified intelligence community official, wrote in the complaint released by Congress. Also read: US House to launch Trump impeachment inquiry over Ukraine controversy The whistleblower said White House officials had expressed alarm about the gravity of Trump's call with his Ukrainian counterpart, and that they told the whistleblower that they had likely "witnessed the president abuse his office for personal gain." "In the days following the phone call, I learned from multiple US officials that senior White House officials had intervened to 'lock down' all records of the phone call," the whistleblower said. "This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call," the whistleblower said in the complaint, which he or she described as a matter of "urgent concern." "White House officials told me that they were 'directed' by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalization, and distribution to Cabinet-level officials," the whistleblower added. In the transcript of the phone call released by the White House on Wednesday, Trump repeatedly asks the Ukrainian leader to help with an investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The Democratic-led House of Representatives has opened an impeachment inquiry to remove the president from office for abuse of power.

White House intervened after Trump-Ukraine call: Whistleblower

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Wednesday he had not been "pushed" by Donald Trump during a controversial phone call in which the US president urged an investigation of his political rival.

"We had -- I think (a) good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and... so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me," Zelensky told reporters, with Trump sitting at his side.

The two met on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting after Democrats launched an impeachment investigation into Trump, alleging he abused his powers as president for personal political ends. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The July 25 call summary -- which is not a verbatim transcript -- shows Trump saying US Attorney General Bill Barr and the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani would be in touch about probing the Ukraine-related activities of Biden and his son.

'A disgraceful thing'

In announcing the launch of impeachment proceedings on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump had betrayed his oath of office in seeking Ukraine's help to find dirt on Biden.

Faced with the possibility of becoming the third US president in history to be impeached, Trump has pushed back hard -- branding the probe the "single greatest witch hunt in American history... a disgraceful thing."&nbsp;

Pelosi had long resisted pressure from the party rank-and-file for impeachment, preferring to focus on next year's election fight.

A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday said that only 37 per cent of voters support impeaching Trump while 57 per cent oppose, even if more than half disapprove of the US leader's performance.

But on Tuesday, Pelosi abandoned months of resistance, 11 days after news that an anonymous US intelligence official had filed a whistleblower complaint on Trump's alleged double-dealing with Ukraine.

Democrats made clear the White House's release of the call record would not satisfy their investigation into whether the US leader broke the law.

They are demanding the full release of the whistleblower complaint, even as the Justice Department declared that it showed no wrongdoing and said, "no further action was warranted."

The next explosive episode in the rapidly unfolding impeachment drama is set for Thursday when acting director of national intelligence Joseph McGuire, who has refused to release the complaint, testifies on Capitol Hill.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Wednesday he had not been "pushed" by Donald Trump during a controversial phone call in which the US president urged an investigation of his political rival.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Wednesday he had not been "pushed" by Donald Trump during a controversial phone call in which the US president urged an investigation of his political rival. "We had -- I think (a) good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and... so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me," Zelensky told reporters, with Trump sitting at his side. The two met on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting after Democrats launched an impeachment investigation into Trump, alleging he abused his powers as president for personal political ends. The July 25 call summary -- which is not a verbatim transcript -- shows Trump saying US Attorney General Bill Barr and the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani would be in touch about probing the Ukraine-related activities of Biden and his son. 'A disgraceful thing' In announcing the launch of impeachment proceedings on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump had betrayed his oath of office in seeking Ukraine's help to find dirt on Biden. Faced with the possibility of becoming the third US president in history to be impeached, Trump has pushed back hard -- branding the probe the "single greatest witch hunt in American history... a disgraceful thing." Pelosi had long resisted pressure from the party rank-and-file for impeachment, preferring to focus on next year's election fight. A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday said that only 37 per cent of voters support impeaching Trump while 57 per cent oppose, even if more than half disapprove of the US leader's performance. But on Tuesday, Pelosi abandoned months of resistance, 11 days after news that an anonymous US intelligence official had filed a whistleblower complaint on Trump's alleged double-dealing with Ukraine. Democrats made clear the White House's release of the call record would not satisfy their investigation into whether the US leader broke the law. They are demanding the full release of the whistleblower complaint, even as the Justice Department declared that it showed no wrongdoing and said, "no further action was warranted." The next explosive episode in the rapidly unfolding impeachment drama is set for Thursday when acting director of national intelligence Joseph McGuire, who has refused to release the complaint, testifies on Capitol Hill.

Ukraine president Zelensky calls controversial Donald Trump call 'normal'

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will release the "fully declassified" <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-denies-pressurising-ukraine-into-investigating-joe-biden-for-corruption-251618">transcript of a controversial call with Ukraine's president</a> which is fueling Democratic calls for his impeachment.

"I am currently at the United Nations representing our country but have authorised the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine," Trump tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
....You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176559970390806530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call," wrote Trump, who is accused of pressuring Zelensky to investigate his White House rival Joe Biden and his son.

"No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo!"

The latest development comes after Trump confirmed he had withheld nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine but denied he did so as leverage to get its president to initiate an investigation that would damage Democratic political rival, Joe Biden.

In remarks to reporters over the intensifying controversy, Trump sought to portray that there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid, saying he wanted Europe and not just the United States step up and provide&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;assistance.

The money was later released by the Trump administration.

Trump is seeking re-election next year and Biden, the former US vice president, is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will release the "fully declassified" transcript of a controversial call with Ukraine's president which is fueling Democratic calls for his impeachment.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will release the "fully declassified" transcript of a controversial call with Ukraine's president which is fueling Democratic calls for his impeachment. "I am currently at the United Nations representing our country but have authorised the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine," Trump tweeted. ....You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2019 × "You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call," wrote Trump, who is accused of pressuring Zelensky to investigate his White House rival Joe Biden and his son. "No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo!" The latest development comes after Trump confirmed he had withheld nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine but denied he did so as leverage to get its president to initiate an investigation that would damage Democratic political rival, Joe Biden. In remarks to reporters over the intensifying controversy, Trump sought to portray that there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid, saying he wanted Europe and not just the United States step up and provide Ukraine assistance. The money was later released by the Trump administration. Trump is seeking re-election next year and Biden, the former US vice president, is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Have authorised release of fully declassified transcript of my call with Ukraine's president: Donald Trump

Democrats in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives on Tuesday launched a formal <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-to-launch-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-ukraine-controversy-251842">impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump</a>, accusing him of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year's election.

The inquiry ensures a partisan fight in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail in coming months, energizing the most committed Republican and Democratic supporters and overshadowing the Democratic race for the nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry after a closed-door meeting with Democratic lawmakers, saying Trump's actions undermined national security and violated the US&nbsp;Constitution.

"The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law," said Pelosi, who for months had been reluctant to embrace an impeachment effort.

Trump fired back quickly on Twitter, calling the inquiry "Witch Hunt garbage."

Pelosi's change of heart followed reports that Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden, the Democratic presidential front-runner, and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine.

Trump promised on Tuesday to release a transcript of his phone call. He has acknowledged he discussed Biden in the call, but denied he withheld nearly $400 million in US&nbsp;aid to Ukraine as leverage to get Zelenskiy to launch a probe that would damage Biden, who leads opinion polls in the Democratic presidential race.

Pelosi said the six congressional committees currently investigating Trump would continue with their probes as part of the inquiry. Those panels would work collaboratively, and then decide whether the House Judiciary Committee should draft articles of impeachment, House aides said.

"The actions of the Trump presidency revealed a dishonourable fact of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections," Pelosi said.

Congressional allies of Trump accused Pelosi of playing politics with the decision. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it "a rush to judgement," saying it should have waited until after details of the phone call were revealed.

"It simply confirms that House Democrats' priority is not making life better for the American people, but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment," he said in a statement.

The impeachment inquiry could eventually lead to Trump's removal from office, although that would be a steep task for Democrats. Even if the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, the Republican-majority Senate would have to take the next step of removing him from office after a trial. A conviction would require a two-thirds Senate majority.

It will be the first impeachment inquiry in Congress since the 1998 probe of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The House voted to impeach Clinton in December 1998, but the Democratic president was acquitted two months later by the Senate and remained in office. The only other president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson in 1868, was also acquitted by the Senate.

US&nbsp;stocks plunged in volatile trade on Tuesday, with the S&amp;P 500 posting its biggest daily drop in a month as investors were rattled by Pelosi's announcement.

Political risk

Biden said he would back impeachment if the president did not fully comply with congressional investigations.

"If we allow a president to get away with shredding the Constitution, that will last forever," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware.

Most Democratic presidential contenders support an impeachment inquiry, including US&nbsp;Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; former US&nbsp;Representative Beto O'Rourke; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former US&nbsp;Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro.

But the move carries a risk of backfiring on Democrats if voters believe they are overreaching, as it did on House Republicans who unexpectedly lost seats in the 1998 elections after pursuing impeachment against Clinton.

Trump has proven particularly resilient since taking office in January 2017, withstanding repeated scandals and retaining strong support from Republicans.

He promised to release a "complete, fully declassified and unredacted" transcript of the July 25 Ukraine call on Wednesday.

Democrats are also seeking the original complaint about Trump's call, filed by a whistleblower within the US&nbsp;intelligence community, as well as information on deliberations over the Ukrainian aid.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said his panel was communicating with an attorney representing the whistleblower and that the individual would like to testify this week.

The White House had refused to hand over the whistleblower's complaint to Congress. But an administration official said late on Tuesday it was now preparing to release it by the end of the week and most likely allow the whistleblower to meet with congressional investigators.

The Senate approved a resolution on Tuesday calling for the complaint to be submitted to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. The House will vote on a similar resolution on Wednesday.

Trump said the transcript would show the Ukraine call was "totally appropriate," that he had not pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and that there had been no "quid pro quo" for US&nbsp;aid in exchange for a probe. Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase meaning a favour that is exchanged for a favour.

Trump has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son.

"When you see the readout of the call, which I assume you'll see at some point, you'll understand. That call was perfect. It couldn't have been nicer," Trump told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Trump indicated there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid to Ukraine but he wanted Europe and not just the United States to step up and provide Ukraine assistance.

The money was later released by the Trump administration. Trump told reporters he had wanted the m

Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, accusing him of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year's election.

Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, accusing him of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year's election. The inquiry ensures a partisan fight in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail in coming months, energizing the most committed Republican and Democratic supporters and overshadowing the Democratic race for the nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry after a closed-door meeting with Democratic lawmakers, saying Trump's actions undermined national security and violated the US Constitution. "The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law," said Pelosi, who for months had been reluctant to embrace an impeachment effort. Trump fired back quickly on Twitter, calling the inquiry "Witch Hunt garbage." Pelosi's change of heart followed reports that Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden, the Democratic presidential front-runner, and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine. Trump promised on Tuesday to release a transcript of his phone call. He has acknowledged he discussed Biden in the call, but denied he withheld nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine as leverage to get Zelenskiy to launch a probe that would damage Biden, who leads opinion polls in the Democratic presidential race. Pelosi said the six congressional committees currently investigating Trump would continue with their probes as part of the inquiry. Those panels would work collaboratively, and then decide whether the House Judiciary Committee should draft articles of impeachment, House aides said. "The actions of the Trump presidency revealed a dishonourable fact of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections," Pelosi said. Congressional allies of Trump accused Pelosi of playing politics with the decision. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it "a rush to judgement," saying it should have waited until after details of the phone call were revealed. "It simply confirms that House Democrats' priority is not making life better for the American people, but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment," he said in a statement. The impeachment inquiry could eventually lead to Trump's removal from office, although that would be a steep task for Democrats. Even if the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, the Republican-majority Senate would have to take the next step of removing him from office after a trial. A conviction would require a two-thirds Senate majority. It will be the first impeachment inquiry in Congress since the 1998 probe of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The House voted to impeach Clinton in December 1998, but the Democratic president was acquitted two months later by the Senate and remained in office. The only other president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson in 1868, was also acquitted by the Senate. US stocks plunged in volatile trade on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 posting its biggest daily drop in a month as investors were rattled by Pelosi's announcement. Political risk Biden said he would back impeachment if the president did not fully comply with congressional investigations. "If we allow a president to get away with shredding the Constitution, that will last forever," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware. Most Democratic presidential contenders support an impeachment inquiry, including US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; former US Representative Beto O'Rourke; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro. But the move carries a risk of backfiring on Democrats if voters believe they are overreaching, as it did on House Republicans who unexpectedly lost seats in the 1998 elections after pursuing impeachment against Clinton. Trump has proven particularly resilient since taking office in January 2017, withstanding repeated scandals and retaining strong support from Republicans. He promised to release a "complete, fully declassified and unredacted" transcript of the July 25 Ukraine call on Wednesday. Democrats are also seeking the original complaint about Trump's call, filed by a whistleblower within the US intelligence community, as well as information on deliberations over the Ukrainian aid. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said his panel was communicating with an attorney representing the whistleblower and that the individual would like to testify this week. The White House had refused to hand over the whistleblower's complaint to Congress. But an administration official said late on Tuesday it was now preparing to release it by the end of the week and most likely allow the whistleblower to meet with congressional investigators. The Senate approved a resolution on Tuesday calling for the complaint to be submitted to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. The House will vote on a similar resolution on Wednesday. Trump said the transcript would show the Ukraine call was "totally appropriate," that he had not pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and that there had been no "quid pro quo" for US aid in exchange for a probe. Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase meaning a favour that is exchanged for a favour. Trump has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son. "When you see the readout of the call, which I assume you'll see at some point, you'll understand. That call was perfect. It couldn't have been nicer," Trump told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Trump indicated there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid to Ukraine but he wanted Europe and not just the United States to step up and provide Ukraine assistance. The money was later released by the Trump administration. Trump told reporters he had wanted the m

US House begins Trump impeachment inquiry over call to Ukraine leader

The White House released a call transcript Wednesday confirming Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart to probe his political rival Joe Biden -- a day after Democrats seized on the explosive allegation to launch an impeachment process.

The White House released a call transcript Wednesday confirming Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart to probe his political rival Joe Biden -- a day after Democrats seized on the explosive allegation to launch an impeachment process. "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that," Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky in the July 25 call. As Barack Obama's vice president, Joe Biden and other Western leaders pressured Ukraine to get rid of the country's top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because he was seen as not tough enough on corruption. "Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it," Trump said.

Trump asked Ukraine leader to investigate Biden, call transcript confirms 

Facebook has removed a group of pages on its platform reportedly linked to Ukraine which featured US patriotic messages and praise for President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-denies-pressurising-ukraine-into-investigating-joe-biden-for-corruption-251618">Donald Trump</a>, with posts seen by millions of users.

The social media giant said in an email Tuesday it had taken down "I Love America" and related pages "for violating our policies against spam and fake accounts, and are continuing to investigate for any further violations."

The move came a day after an investigation published by the left-leaning news site Popular Information which said the page was registered to Ukrainian media strategist Andriy Zyuzikov and regularly posted pro-Trump themes and a considerable amount of misinformation.

The messages ranged from innocuous posts such as "Everyone should respect and stand for our American Flag" to fake statements, including one saying Hillary Clinton had sold her email access to foreign governments.

According to analytics cited by Popular Info, the I Love America page had 1.1 million fans and more than nine million interactions over the past three months -- more than news sites such as BuzzFeed and the Los Angeles Times.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-buys-startup-working-on-mind-control-of-machines-251624">Facebook</a> so far has not found any links from the page to "state actors" but made a decision to block the operation because of spam and so-called clickbait which violate its policies.

The news report said the page was recycling hoaxes and false information used by Russia's Internet Research Agency as part of efforts to manipulate voters in the 2016 US election.

Related pages also removed included names such as "Cute or Not?" and "God bless Donald and Melania Trump and God bless America," which according to Popular Info were also controlled from Ukraine and posted similar messages.

The move comes with Facebook and other platforms under pressure to curb misinformation and efforts by state-controlled entities to interfere in elections of other countries.

Facebook has removed a group of pages on its platform reportedly linked to Ukraine which featured US patriotic messages and praise for President Donald Trump, with posts seen by millions of users.

Facebook has removed a group of pages on its platform reportedly linked to Ukraine which featured US patriotic messages and praise for President Donald Trump, with posts seen by millions of users. The social media giant said in an email Tuesday it had taken down "I Love America" and related pages "for violating our policies against spam and fake accounts, and are continuing to investigate for any further violations." The move came a day after an investigation published by the left-leaning news site Popular Information which said the page was registered to Ukrainian media strategist Andriy Zyuzikov and regularly posted pro-Trump themes and a considerable amount of misinformation. The messages ranged from innocuous posts such as "Everyone should respect and stand for our American Flag" to fake statements, including one saying Hillary Clinton had sold her email access to foreign governments. According to analytics cited by Popular Info, the I Love America page had 1.1 million fans and more than nine million interactions over the past three months -- more than news sites such as BuzzFeed and the Los Angeles Times. Facebook so far has not found any links from the page to "state actors" but made a decision to block the operation because of spam and so-called clickbait which violate its policies. The news report said the page was recycling hoaxes and false information used by Russia's Internet Research Agency as part of efforts to manipulate voters in the 2016 US election. Related pages also removed included names such as "Cute or Not?" and "God bless Donald and Melania Trump and God bless America," which according to Popular Info were also controlled from Ukraine and posted similar messages. The move comes with Facebook and other platforms under pressure to curb misinformation and efforts by state-controlled entities to interfere in elections of other countries.

Facebook takes down pro-Trump pages with reported Ukraine links

US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-makes-unscheduled-appearance-at-united-nations-climate-summit-251577">Donald Trump </a>on Monday denied trying to coerce Ukraine into investigating his Democratic political rival Joe Biden, but wavered about whether he would release a transcript of a phone call that some Democrats say is grounds for his impeachment.

Trump told reporters in New York that he did not pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to launch a corruption investigation into Biden and his son in return for U.S. military aid.

"No I didn't", Trump said.

A U.S. whistleblower lodged a complaint about the contents of Trump's conversation with Zelenskiy, leading to calls from some Democrats for Trump to be impeached for trying to enlist a foreign power to smear a domestic opponent.

Biden, a former vice president, whose son Hunter worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine, is the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election.

Trump gave a contradictory message about whether he would release a transcript of the call with the Ukrainian leader.

"I may do it because it was a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-feud-heats-up-donald-trump-says-joe-biden-was-subject-of-ukraine-call-251345">very interesting call</a>," Trump said. "It was a very nice call. I hope you get to see it and I hope you get to see it soon,” he said.

But he added: "I don’t think it’s a great precedent to be releasing calls with foreign countries, heads of foreign countries. So I don’t think it’s a great precedent."

Earlier on Monday, Trump shrugged off the impeachment talk, saying he was not taking it seriously.

Democrats Seek Documents

Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives have called a caucus meeting for Tuesday afternoon to discuss the whistleblower complaint, a leadership aide said.

Congressional Democrats on Monday demanded documents from the White House about Trump team's contacts with Ukraine.

Three House committees - Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight - called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to produce documents related to contacts between Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Ukrainian officials.

The Democratic-led committees said in a letter that they "jointly request documents related to reported efforts by President Trump and his associates to improperly pressure the Ukrainian government to assist the president’s bid for reelection."

Trump hit out on Monday at Biden, calling him and his son "corrupt."

Neither the president nor aides have provided any details of possible corruption by Biden when he was Vice-President under Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama.

There has been no evidence so far that Biden used his position as vice president to help his son, and he said in Iowa this past weekend that he had never discussed Hunter Biden’s business in Ukraine with his son

Ukrainian officials, while acknowledging they had met with Giuliani, have not said that they would not open any investigation of Biden or his son.

Ukraine's former general prosecutor, Yuriy Lutsenko, told Reuters on Friday that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Biden's son in his relationship with the energy firm.

The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on Friday that Trump repeatedly asked the Ukrainian leader in the phone call to investigate the involvement of Biden's son with the company. He also asked Zelenskiy to work with Giuliani, who had been urging Ukrainian officials to investigate the Bidens.

On Sunday, Trump acknowledged that he discussed Biden and his son in the July 25 call.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate Intelligence Committee was working to get the intelligence community's inspector general to speak to the panel to discuss the whistleblower's allegations.

A Senate aide said a briefing with the panel's Chairman and Vice-Chairman was expected to occur this week.

The media reports about the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-demands-trump-release-transcript-of-july-phone-call-with-ukrainian-president-250940">phone call</a> said Trump repeatedly asked Zelenskiy to investigate whether Biden misused his position as Vice-President to threaten to withhold US&nbsp;aid unless a prosecutor who was looking into the gas company in which Biden's son was involved was fired.

Biden has confirmed he wanted the prosecutor fired but denies it was to help his son. Biden said the wider US&nbsp;government, the European Union and other international institutions also wanted the prosecutor fired for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases.

A top official in Zelenskiy's administration told Reuters that Ukraine wanted to stay out of the domestic political battle in Washington and that any attempt by either side to take advantage of Ukraine would damage relations.

US President Donald Trump on Monday denied trying to coerce Ukraine into investigating his Democratic political rival Joe Biden, but wavered about whether he would release a transcript of a phone call that some Democrats say is grounds for his impeachment.

US President Donald Trump on Monday denied trying to coerce Ukraine into investigating his Democratic political rival Joe Biden, but wavered about whether he would release a transcript of a phone call that some Democrats say is grounds for his impeachment. Trump told reporters in New York that he did not pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to launch a corruption investigation into Biden and his son in return for U.S. military aid. "No I didn't", Trump said. A U.S. whistleblower lodged a complaint about the contents of Trump's conversation with Zelenskiy, leading to calls from some Democrats for Trump to be impeached for trying to enlist a foreign power to smear a domestic opponent. Biden, a former vice president, whose son Hunter worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine, is the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election. Trump gave a contradictory message about whether he would release a transcript of the call with the Ukrainian leader. "I may do it because it was a very interesting call," Trump said. "It was a very nice call. I hope you get to see it and I hope you get to see it soon,” he said. But he added: "I don’t think it’s a great precedent to be releasing calls with foreign countries, heads of foreign countries. So I don’t think it’s a great precedent." Earlier on Monday, Trump shrugged off the impeachment talk, saying he was not taking it seriously. Democrats Seek Documents Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives have called a caucus meeting for Tuesday afternoon to discuss the whistleblower complaint, a leadership aide said. Congressional Democrats on Monday demanded documents from the White House about Trump team's contacts with Ukraine. Three House committees - Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight - called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to produce documents related to contacts between Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Ukrainian officials. The Democratic-led committees said in a letter that they "jointly request documents related to reported efforts by President Trump and his associates to improperly pressure the Ukrainian government to assist the president’s bid for reelection." Trump hit out on Monday at Biden, calling him and his son "corrupt." Neither the president nor aides have provided any details of possible corruption by Biden when he was Vice-President under Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama. There has been no evidence so far that Biden used his position as vice president to help his son, and he said in Iowa this past weekend that he had never discussed Hunter Biden’s business in Ukraine with his son Ukrainian officials, while acknowledging they had met with Giuliani, have not said that they would not open any investigation of Biden or his son. Ukraine's former general prosecutor, Yuriy Lutsenko, told Reuters on Friday that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Biden's son in his relationship with the energy firm. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on Friday that Trump repeatedly asked the Ukrainian leader in the phone call to investigate the involvement of Biden's son with the company. He also asked Zelenskiy to work with Giuliani, who had been urging Ukrainian officials to investigate the Bidens. On Sunday, Trump acknowledged that he discussed Biden and his son in the July 25 call. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate Intelligence Committee was working to get the intelligence community's inspector general to speak to the panel to discuss the whistleblower's allegations. A Senate aide said a briefing with the panel's Chairman and Vice-Chairman was expected to occur this week. The media reports about the phone call said Trump repeatedly asked Zelenskiy to investigate whether Biden misused his position as Vice-President to threaten to withhold US aid unless a prosecutor who was looking into the gas company in which Biden's son was involved was fired. Biden has confirmed he wanted the prosecutor fired but denies it was to help his son. Biden said the wider US government, the European Union and other international institutions also wanted the prosecutor fired for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases. A top official in Zelenskiy's administration told Reuters that Ukraine wanted to stay out of the domestic political battle in Washington and that any attempt by either side to take advantage of Ukraine would damage relations.

Donald Trump denies pressurising Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden for corruption

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he discussed Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son in a call with Ukraine's president.

Trump's statement to reporters about his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came as the Democratic leader of a key congressional panel said the pursuit of Trump's impeachment may be the "only remedy" to the situation.

Trump's call with Zelensky has been at the center of an escalating battle in Washington since Friday when news outlets reported that Trump repeatedly asked the Ukrainian leader to investigate whether Biden, the Democratic front-runner to take on Trump in next year's election, misused his position when he was vice president.

Trump told reporters at the White House that their phone conversation was mostly congratulatory but also touched on corruption and the Bidens.

"The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with large corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in Ukraine," Trump said.

Democrats have said that if Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden, it is tantamount to promoting foreign interference in the 2020 election.

Trump has denied doing anything improper. His allies, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have defended the president's phone call, which, according to news reports, was the subject of a complaint made by an as-yet-unnamed whistleblower.

If an investigation shows that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden, the US Congress may have no choice but to pursue impeachment, Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on Sunday.

Schiff had previously shied away from calling for impeachment, but his comments on CNN's "State of the Union" showed his stance had shifted.

"If the president is essentially withholding military aid at the same time that he is trying to browbeat a foreign leader to do something illicit, to provide dirt on his opponent during a presidential campaign, then that may be the only remedy that is co-equal to the evil that conduct represents," Schiff said.

Other legislators have called for the Democratic leadership to pursue impeachment immediately, but Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far resisted calls to formally begin the process.

In a letter to colleagues later on Sunday, Pelosi warned the administration against keeping the details of the whistleblower complaint secret. The administration has so far resisted sharing the details of the complaint with lawmakers.

"If the administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the president, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of the investigation," Pelosi wrote.

Romney voices concerns

Senator Mitt Romney, who has clashed with Trump in the past, sounded a rare note of concern among Trump's fellow Republicans, many of whom have remained silent, defended Trump or escalated their attacks on Biden in the days after the reports about the Trump-Zelensky call.

"If the President asked or pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival, either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme," Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said in a Twitter post.

Impeachment proceedings in Congress, which begin in the House, can lead to a president being removed from office, but Democrats would need the support of Republicans, who control the Senate.

Multiple news organizations reported on Friday that Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to investigate whether Biden misused his position as vice president under Democratic President Barack Obama to threaten to withhold US aid unless a prosecutor who was looking into a gas company in which Biden's son was involved was fired.

Biden has confirmed he wanted the prosecutor fired but denies it was to help his son. Biden said the wider US government, the European Union and other international institutions also wanted the prosecutor fired for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases.

Biden said on Saturday there should be an investigation into Trump's call, saying it "appears to be an overwhelming abuse of power." He said he never spoke to his son about Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he discussed Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son in a call with Ukraine's president. Trump's statement to reporters about his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came as the Democratic leader of a key congressional panel said the pursuit of Trump's impeachment may be the "only remedy" to the situation.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he discussed Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son in a call with Ukraine's president. Trump's statement to reporters about his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came as the Democratic leader of a key congressional panel said the pursuit of Trump's impeachment may be the "only remedy" to the situation. Trump's call with Zelensky has been at the center of an escalating battle in Washington since Friday when news outlets reported that Trump repeatedly asked the Ukrainian leader to investigate whether Biden, the Democratic front-runner to take on Trump in next year's election, misused his position when he was vice president. Trump told reporters at the White House that their phone conversation was mostly congratulatory but also touched on corruption and the Bidens. "The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with large corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in Ukraine," Trump said. Democrats have said that if Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden, it is tantamount to promoting foreign interference in the 2020 election. Trump has denied doing anything improper. His allies, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have defended the president's phone call, which, according to news reports, was the subject of a complaint made by an as-yet-unnamed whistleblower. If an investigation shows that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden, the US Congress may have no choice but to pursue impeachment, Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on Sunday. Schiff had previously shied away from calling for impeachment, but his comments on CNN's "State of the Union" showed his stance had shifted. "If the president is essentially withholding military aid at the same time that he is trying to browbeat a foreign leader to do something illicit, to provide dirt on his opponent during a presidential campaign, then that may be the only remedy that is co-equal to the evil that conduct represents," Schiff said. Other legislators have called for the Democratic leadership to pursue impeachment immediately, but Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far resisted calls to formally begin the process. In a letter to colleagues later on Sunday, Pelosi warned the administration against keeping the details of the whistleblower complaint secret. The administration has so far resisted sharing the details of the complaint with lawmakers. "If the administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the president, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of the investigation," Pelosi wrote. Romney voices concerns Senator Mitt Romney, who has clashed with Trump in the past, sounded a rare note of concern among Trump's fellow Republicans, many of whom have remained silent, defended Trump or escalated their attacks on Biden in the days after the reports about the Trump-Zelensky call. "If the President asked or pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival, either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme," Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said in a Twitter post. Impeachment proceedings in Congress, which begin in the House, can lead to a president being removed from office, but Democrats would need the support of Republicans, who control the Senate. Multiple news organizations reported on Friday that Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to investigate whether Biden misused his position as vice president under Democratic President Barack Obama to threaten to withhold US aid unless a prosecutor who was looking into a gas company in which Biden's son was involved was fired. Biden has confirmed he wanted the prosecutor fired but denies it was to help his son. Biden said the wider US government, the European Union and other international institutions also wanted the prosecutor fired for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases. Biden said on Saturday there should be an investigation into Trump's call, saying it "appears to be an overwhelming abuse of power." He said he never spoke to his son about Ukraine.

Trump says he discussed Biden in call with Ukrainian president Zelensky

Ukraine Removes Immunity For Lawmakers, While Accused Politicians Act As If They Are Above The Law In India On Gravitas Food for Thought, Palki looks at two stories that evolved in the last week. Ukraine removed immunity from prosecution for its lawmakers. Ukraine's lawmakers can now be charged for corruption just like any other citizen. Contrast this to the victory gesture of P Chidambaram, the former Home Minister who's facing corruption charges. Are Indian politicians above law? Is it time to scrap partial immunity to lawmakers in India?

Gravitas food for thought: Are politicians beyond the rule of law in India?

Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a Russian-Ukrainian journalist flown to Moscow as part of a landmark prisoner swap with Kiev, on Monday thanked President Vladimir Putin and said his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/preparations-for-russia-ukraine-prisoner-exchange-underway-state-tv-248236">case</a> was politically motivated.

Vyshynsky, a dual Ukrainian and Russian national working for Moscow's RIA Novosti state news agency, was detained in Kiev last year and charged with "high treason" in the interests of Russia.

The 52-year-old was one of 70 prisoners released in a long-awaited exchange between the two countries on Saturday.

"A huge thank you to Russia's political leadership and personally Vladimir Putin," Vsyshynsky said at a press conference in Moscow. &nbsp;

The state news journalist said his case "was a political story and my release is the result of political efforts.

"When I saw the accusations against me by the Ukrainian security services, I knew that I was not going to be judged (in court), that they needed me for an exchange and to exert pressure (on Moscow)," he said.

But he felt "no hate" towards Ukraine, he added.

"I do not have strong feelings towards those people, who were obeying orders. And I know who gave those orders, but I do not hate them either," he said.

Vyshynsky accused former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko of ordering his arrest to boost approval ratings. If the politician had not lost Kiev's presidential election in April, he would still be behind bars, he said.

Ukraine's SBU security services accused Vyshynsky of travelling to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 to carry out "subversive" reporting and justify its annexation by Russia.

Kiev also accused him of having supported the Russia-backed separatists fighting against its forces in eastern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-volodymyr-zelensky-eye-new-talks-after-prisoner-swap-248507">Ukraine.</a>

Putin granted Vyshynsky Russian citizenship by decree in 2015.

Some 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict that broke out in eastern Ukraine shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. The international community refuses to recognize the annexation.

Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a Russian-Ukrainian journalist flown to Moscow as part of a landmark prisoner swap with Kiev, on Monday thanked President Vladimir Putin and said his case was politically motivated.

Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a Russian-Ukrainian journalist flown to Moscow as part of a landmark prisoner swap with Kiev, on Monday thanked President Vladimir Putin and said his case was politically motivated. Vyshynsky, a dual Ukrainian and Russian national working for Moscow's RIA Novosti state news agency, was detained in Kiev last year and charged with "high treason" in the interests of Russia. The 52-year-old was one of 70 prisoners released in a long-awaited exchange between the two countries on Saturday. "A huge thank you to Russia's political leadership and personally Vladimir Putin," Vsyshynsky said at a press conference in Moscow. The state news journalist said his case "was a political story and my release is the result of political efforts. "When I saw the accusations against me by the Ukrainian security services, I knew that I was not going to be judged (in court), that they needed me for an exchange and to exert pressure (on Moscow)," he said. But he felt "no hate" towards Ukraine, he added. "I do not have strong feelings towards those people, who were obeying orders. And I know who gave those orders, but I do not hate them either," he said. Vyshynsky accused former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko of ordering his arrest to boost approval ratings. If the politician had not lost Kiev's presidential election in April, he would still be behind bars, he said. Ukraine's SBU security services accused Vyshynsky of travelling to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 to carry out "subversive" reporting and justify its annexation by Russia. Kiev also accused him of having supported the Russia-backed separatists fighting against its forces in eastern Ukraine. Putin granted Vyshynsky Russian citizenship by decree in 2015. Some 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict that broke out in eastern Ukraine shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. The international community refuses to recognize the annexation.

Russia journalist freed in prisoner swap with Kiev thanks Putin

Ukraine and Russia conducted an exchange of detainees on Saturday, with each country releasing 35 detainees. On the morning, 35 Ukraine detainees held in Russia left the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow for Boryspil International Airport in Kiev. They included 24 sailors seized by Russia during the Kerch Strait incident on November 2018 for allegedly violating the Russian border.

Russia-Ukraine swaps detainees, landmark deal between two countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed holding new peace talks after a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-and-ukraine-carry-out-prisoner-swap-trump-calls-it-first-giant-step-to-peace-248311">landmark prisoner exchange</a>.

Their offices said Putin and Zelensky spoke by phone late on Saturday after the long-awaited swap of 70 prisoners.

Zelensky's office said both leaders were "satisfied with the result of the implementation of the agreements" on the exchange.

"The presidents of the two countries also agreed to discuss in the near future the date of holding a summit within the framework of the Normandy format" which also includes France and Germany.

The Kremlin said the prisoner exchange had "major significance" for the improvement of bilateral ties and that the two sides had agreed to remain in contact.

Putin stressed the importance of conducting preparations for a new summit.

Efforts have intensified to ease tensions between Moscow and Kiev since Zelensky's election in April.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany this month.&nbsp;

Among the prisoners swapped were 24 Ukrainian sailors, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed holding new peace talks after a landmark prisoner exchange. Their offices said Putin and Zelensky spoke by phone late on Saturday after the long-awaited swap of 70 prisoners.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed holding new peace talks after a landmark prisoner exchange. Their offices said Putin and Zelensky spoke by phone late on Saturday after the long-awaited swap of 70 prisoners. Zelensky's office said both leaders were "satisfied with the result of the implementation of the agreements" on the exchange. "The presidents of the two countries also agreed to discuss in the near future the date of holding a summit within the framework of the Normandy format" which also includes France and Germany. The Kremlin said the prisoner exchange had "major significance" for the improvement of bilateral ties and that the two sides had agreed to remain in contact. Putin stressed the importance of conducting preparations for a new summit. Efforts have intensified to ease tensions between Moscow and Kiev since Zelensky's election in April. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany this month. Among the prisoners swapped were 24 Ukrainian sailors, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky.

Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky eye new talks after prisoner swap

Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mh17-suspect-among-prisoners-swapped-by-ukraine-with-russia-dutch-government-248309">prisoner swap</a> on Saturday (September 7). The step could thaw a deep freeze in relations since Moscow's annexation of the Crimea region in 2014.

A Russian aircraft carrying freed Russian prisoners from Kiev landed in Moscow while a Ukrainian plane with released Ukrainian prisoners aboard touched down in Kiev.

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Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners, included in the Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap, wait for their arrival at Borispil International Airport outside Kiev, Ukraine September 7, 2019. (Reuters Photo)

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump welcomed the Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange Saturday as a potential step toward peace.

"Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!" Trump tweeted.

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Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!
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Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, whose arrest and imprisonment in Russia has been a rallying cry for the entertainment industry and human-rights groups worldwide, has been sent back to Ukraine as part of the exchange.

Sentsov was an outspoken opponent of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government and of Russia's annexation of Crimea. In May 2014, he was arrested by Russian authorities at his home in Crimea, jailed for a year in Moscow, then convicted by a military court of terrorist crimes - charges that critics say were trumped up. Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Dutch government said that Ukraine has included a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people, in the swap with Russia. Volodymyr Tsemakh, whom Ukraine's security service has identified as a former commander of Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, was transferred to Russia in the exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

Dutch prosecutors had urged Kiev not to allow Tsemakh to travel to Russia, fearing this could jeopardize the investigation into Flight MH17. He was released on bail by a Ukrainian court on Thursday (September 5).

Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited prisoner swap on Saturday (September 7). The step could thaw a deep freeze in relations since Moscow's annexation of the Crimea region in 2014.

Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited prisoner swap on Saturday (September 7). The step could thaw a deep freeze in relations since Moscow's annexation of the Crimea region in 2014. A Russian aircraft carrying freed Russian prisoners from Kiev landed in Moscow while a Ukrainian plane with released Ukrainian prisoners aboard touched down in Kiev. Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners, included in the Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap, wait for their arrival at Borispil International Airport outside Kiev, Ukraine September 7, 2019. (Reuters Photo) Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump welcomed the Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange Saturday as a potential step toward peace. "Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!" Trump tweeted. Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019 × Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, whose arrest and imprisonment in Russia has been a rallying cry for the entertainment industry and human-rights groups worldwide, has been sent back to Ukraine as part of the exchange. Sentsov was an outspoken opponent of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government and of Russia's annexation of Crimea. In May 2014, he was arrested by Russian authorities at his home in Crimea, jailed for a year in Moscow, then convicted by a military court of terrorist crimes - charges that critics say were trumped up. Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Dutch government said that Ukraine has included a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people, in the swap with Russia. Volodymyr Tsemakh, whom Ukraine's security service has identified as a former commander of Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, was transferred to Russia in the exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. Dutch prosecutors had urged Kiev not to allow Tsemakh to travel to Russia, fearing this could jeopardize the investigation into Flight MH17. He was released on bail by a Ukrainian court on Thursday (September 5).

Russia and Ukraine carry out prisoner swap, Trump calls it first giant step to peace

Ukraine has included a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people, in a prisoner swap with Russia, the Dutch government said on Saturday.

Volodymyr Tsemakh, whom Ukraine`s security service has identified as a former commander of Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, was transferred to Russia in an exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev, the Dutch Foreign ministry said.

Dutch prosecutors had urged Kiev not to allow Tsemakh to travel to Russia, fearing this could jeopardise the investigation into Flight MH17. He was released on bail by a Ukrainian court on Thursday.

Ukraine has included a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people, in a prisoner swap with Russia, the Dutch government said on Saturday.

Ukraine has included a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people, in a prisoner swap with Russia, the Dutch government said on Saturday. Volodymyr Tsemakh, whom Ukraine`s security service has identified as a former commander of Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, was transferred to Russia in an exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev, the Dutch Foreign ministry said. Dutch prosecutors had urged Kiev not to allow Tsemakh to travel to Russia, fearing this could jeopardise the investigation into Flight MH17. He was released on bail by a Ukrainian court on Thursday.

MH17 suspect among prisoners swapped by Ukraine with Russia: Dutch government

A long-awaited exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev has begun, Russian state television reported on Saturday, broadcasting footage of buses leaving a jail in the capital.

"Buses have left the Lefortovo jail within the framework of preparations for a prisoner exchange," the Rossiya 24 news channel said.

AFP journalists at the scene saw two buses with tinted windows leaving the high-security prison in Moscow under a police convoy.

The channel said the buses had arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, where there is a terminal for government flights.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "large-scale" prisoner exchange with Ukraine was being finalised.

The Russian leader said the swap would be "a huge step towards normalising relations" with Kiev.

It would be the first major exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia since the conflict over eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the prospect of a prisoner swap after the comedian-turned-politician swept to power in May.

His election has revived peace efforts, with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France expected to meet this month for talks.&nbsp;

Last week media reports said the prisoner exchange was imminent and some Ukrainian prisoners had been moved to Moscow from their jails.&nbsp;

The apparent preparations then stalled.

It is unclear who will be part of the swap and Moscow has been tight-lipped.

But reports have suggested up to 35 prisoners on both sides could be exchanged.

The head of the defence team for 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia last year said they would be part of the exchange.

"According to my information, they were put on a bus. All 24 of them," Nikolai Polozov told AFP, adding that he expected them to arrive in Ukraine "in the next few hours".

Russia has been holding the sailors since seizing three vessels last November in the most dangerous direct clash between Russia and Ukraine in years.

Among those who could be released by Russia could be film director and activist Oleg Sentsov, 43, who has become Ukraine's most famous political prisoner.&nbsp;

He was arrested in 2014 and has been serving a 20-year sentence in a Russian Arctic penal colony for planning "terrorist attacks" in Moscow-annexed Crimea.

Reports emerged last week that Sentsov had been moved to Moscow.

Ukraine could hand over Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a journalist at Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency who was released on bail late last month pending a trial for "high treason".

A Ukrainian court this week also released from detention a man investigators have described as a key witness in the downing of flight MH17.

The release of Vladimir Tsemakh, an alleged air defence specialist for pro-Russian separatists, prompted concern from the Netherlands that he may avoid questioning.

Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

A long-awaited exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev has begun, Russian state television reported on Saturday, broadcasting footage of buses leaving a jail in the capital.

A long-awaited exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev has begun, Russian state television reported on Saturday, broadcasting footage of buses leaving a jail in the capital. "Buses have left the Lefortovo jail within the framework of preparations for a prisoner exchange," the Rossiya 24 news channel said. AFP journalists at the scene saw two buses with tinted windows leaving the high-security prison in Moscow under a police convoy. The channel said the buses had arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, where there is a terminal for government flights. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "large-scale" prisoner exchange with Ukraine was being finalised. The Russian leader said the swap would be "a huge step towards normalising relations" with Kiev. It would be the first major exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia since the conflict over eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the prospect of a prisoner swap after the comedian-turned-politician swept to power in May. His election has revived peace efforts, with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France expected to meet this month for talks. Last week media reports said the prisoner exchange was imminent and some Ukrainian prisoners had been moved to Moscow from their jails. The apparent preparations then stalled. It is unclear who will be part of the swap and Moscow has been tight-lipped. But reports have suggested up to 35 prisoners on both sides could be exchanged. The head of the defence team for 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia last year said they would be part of the exchange. "According to my information, they were put on a bus. All 24 of them," Nikolai Polozov told AFP, adding that he expected them to arrive in Ukraine "in the next few hours". Russia has been holding the sailors since seizing three vessels last November in the most dangerous direct clash between Russia and Ukraine in years. Among those who could be released by Russia could be film director and activist Oleg Sentsov, 43, who has become Ukraine's most famous political prisoner. He was arrested in 2014 and has been serving a 20-year sentence in a Russian Arctic penal colony for planning "terrorist attacks" in Moscow-annexed Crimea. Reports emerged last week that Sentsov had been moved to Moscow. Ukraine could hand over Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a journalist at Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency who was released on bail late last month pending a trial for "high treason". A Ukrainian court this week also released from detention a man investigators have described as a key witness in the downing of flight MH17. The release of Vladimir Tsemakh, an alleged air defence specialist for pro-Russian separatists, prompted concern from the Netherlands that he may avoid questioning. Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

Preparations for Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange underway: Report

A Ukrainian court on Thursday (September 5) released on bail a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 that killed 298 people.

Ukraine court releases MH17 suspect on bail

A court in Ukraine on Thursday released from pre-trial detention a man suspected of involvement in the downing of flight MH17, amid speculation he might be used in a prisoner swap with Russia.

Ukraine captured Vladimir Tsemakh, accused of fighting for pro-Russian separatists, in June, but he is believed to be a person of interest in the downing of MH17.&nbsp;

European lawmakers described him as a "key suspect" and asked Kyiv to make him available for testimony in the probe.

An AFP journalist was present as appellate court judge Yury Sliva in Kyiv ruled to release Tsemakh, cautioning him to remain available for questioning and not attempt to flee.

Tsemakh is a Ukrainian who is believed to have been in charge of air defence in the forces of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic near Snizhne in eastern Ukraine.

This is where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down in 2014, killing 298 people, most of them Dutch citizens.

Through his involvement in MH17 has never been confirmed by Ukraine, 40 European lawmakers on Wednesday asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to make sure he is available to be questioned by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team.

Russian and Ukrainian media have reported that Moscow is demanding that Tsemakh be handed over to Russia as part of an expected prisoner swap between the two countries.&nbsp;

Several high-profile Ukrainian prisoners are to be released from Russian jails under the swap, but the process had stalled amid reports that some Ukrainians have already been moved to Moscow from their prisons.

Dutch MEP Kati Piri said demanding the exchange of Tsemakh is a "strange request" which "suggests that the Russian government wants to prevent this suspect from appearing in court".

A Ukrainian source close to the talks told AFP that the exchange will happen "soon," possibly this week, but refused to comment on whether Tsemakh is among the individuals prepared for the swap.

The MH17 Boeing jet en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a BUK anti-aircraft missile.&nbsp;

Dutch investigators say the projectile originated from the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade after it was transported to Snizhne from Russia's south-west Kursk region.

Tsemakh's release provoked criticism in Ukraine, with some predicting there would be consequences for the attempts by Ukraine's new president to build relations with the European Union.

"Ukraine is becoming a de facto co-conspirator in the MH17 crime," wrote journalist Petro Shuklinov on Facebook.&nbsp;

Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

A court in Ukraine on Thursday released from pre-trial detention a man suspected of involvement in the downing of flight MH17, amid speculation he might be used in a prisoner swap with Russia.

A court in Ukraine on Thursday released from pre-trial detention a man suspected of involvement in the downing of flight MH17, amid speculation he might be used in a prisoner swap with Russia. Ukraine captured Vladimir Tsemakh, accused of fighting for pro-Russian separatists, in June, but he is believed to be a person of interest in the downing of MH17. European lawmakers described him as a "key suspect" and asked Kyiv to make him available for testimony in the probe. An AFP journalist was present as appellate court judge Yury Sliva in Kyiv ruled to release Tsemakh, cautioning him to remain available for questioning and not attempt to flee. Tsemakh is a Ukrainian who is believed to have been in charge of air defence in the forces of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic near Snizhne in eastern Ukraine. This is where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down in 2014, killing 298 people, most of them Dutch citizens. Through his involvement in MH17 has never been confirmed by Ukraine, 40 European lawmakers on Wednesday asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to make sure he is available to be questioned by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team. Russian and Ukrainian media have reported that Moscow is demanding that Tsemakh be handed over to Russia as part of an expected prisoner swap between the two countries. Several high-profile Ukrainian prisoners are to be released from Russian jails under the swap, but the process had stalled amid reports that some Ukrainians have already been moved to Moscow from their prisons. Dutch MEP Kati Piri said demanding the exchange of Tsemakh is a "strange request" which "suggests that the Russian government wants to prevent this suspect from appearing in court". A Ukrainian source close to the talks told AFP that the exchange will happen "soon," possibly this week, but refused to comment on whether Tsemakh is among the individuals prepared for the swap. The MH17 Boeing jet en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a BUK anti-aircraft missile. Dutch investigators say the projectile originated from the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade after it was transported to Snizhne from Russia's south-west Kursk region. Tsemakh's release provoked criticism in Ukraine, with some predicting there would be consequences for the attempts by Ukraine's new president to build relations with the European Union. "Ukraine is becoming a de facto co-conspirator in the MH17 crime," wrote journalist Petro Shuklinov on Facebook. Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine court releases MH17 'suspect' pending trial

Ukraine's parliament has approved a much-anticipated bill to scrap immunity from prosecution for lawmakers. Watch this video to know more.

Ukraine strips legislators' immunity

US Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said Washington will continue to support Ukraine, after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Warsaw, reported news agency Reuters.

US Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said Washington will continue to support Ukraine, after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Warsaw, reported news agency Reuters. Washington is a key ally for Kiev, having imposed sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014 and backing pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine's east. Pence and Zelenskiy were in Warsaw for commemoration to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of World War Two.

US Vice President Pence says US will continue to support Ukraine

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-walks-out-of-europe-rights-body-as-russia-returns-230295">Ukraine</a> on Friday denied reports that a prisoner swap with Russia was underway, as announced earlier by some Russian media and a Ukrainian official.

"The process for the mutual release of prisoners is continuing. Information about its completion is not true," the Ukrainian presidency said in a post on Facebook.

Speculation has spread in recent days that a prisoner swap was imminent and reports surfaced overnight that it had begun.

Some reports were based on a report on Facebook by Ukraine's new prosecutor-general Ruslan Ryaboshapka suggesting the swap had started.&nbsp;

Russian media outlets retracted a report of the swap and apologised.

"This is not the first time we have seen information chaos caused by... unconfirmed information," the presidency said, warning against "misinformation" and urging people not to "play with society's emotions".

"Nobody is flying anywhere," Valentyn Rybin, a lawyer for several of the Russian and Ukrainian nationals held by Ukraine and mooted for the swap. Some of his clients are still in prison, he said.

"Let's be patient and not have any false starts," he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Russian news agencies reported on Thursday that Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker serving a 20-year jail term in Russia, had been moved to Moscow ahead of a possible prisoner swap.

That came a day after Ukraine released Russian state media journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky pending his treason trial.

However, Sentsov's lawyer Dmitry Dinze told AFP he had "no information" on the matter.&nbsp;

Vyshynsky remained in Kiev on Friday, his lawyer said.

On Friday there was still no official statement regarding Sentsov's whereabouts. Russian prison monitors who attempted to see him in a Moscow jail said they failed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whose election earlier this year has raised hopes of a reduction in tensions with Russia proposed an exchange of Sentsov and Vyshynsky a few weeks ago.

Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

A prisoner exchange could be a key first step in easing tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

Ukraine on Friday denied reports that a prisoner swap with Russia was underway, as announced earlier by some Russian media and a Ukrainian official. "The process for the mutual release of prisoners is continuing.

Ukraine on Friday denied reports that a prisoner swap with Russia was underway, as announced earlier by some Russian media and a Ukrainian official. "The process for the mutual release of prisoners is continuing. Information about its completion is not true," the Ukrainian presidency said in a post on Facebook. Speculation has spread in recent days that a prisoner swap was imminent and reports surfaced overnight that it had begun. Some reports were based on a report on Facebook by Ukraine's new prosecutor-general Ruslan Ryaboshapka suggesting the swap had started. Russian media outlets retracted a report of the swap and apologised. "This is not the first time we have seen information chaos caused by... unconfirmed information," the presidency said, warning against "misinformation" and urging people not to "play with society's emotions". "Nobody is flying anywhere," Valentyn Rybin, a lawyer for several of the Russian and Ukrainian nationals held by Ukraine and mooted for the swap. Some of his clients are still in prison, he said. "Let's be patient and not have any false starts," he said in a video posted on his Facebook page. Russian news agencies reported on Thursday that Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker serving a 20-year jail term in Russia, had been moved to Moscow ahead of a possible prisoner swap. That came a day after Ukraine released Russian state media journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky pending his treason trial. However, Sentsov's lawyer Dmitry Dinze told AFP he had "no information" on the matter. Vyshynsky remained in Kiev on Friday, his lawyer said. On Friday there was still no official statement regarding Sentsov's whereabouts. Russian prison monitors who attempted to see him in a Moscow jail said they failed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whose election earlier this year has raised hopes of a reduction in tensions with Russia proposed an exchange of Sentsov and Vyshynsky a few weeks ago. Some 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which broke out shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. A prisoner exchange could be a key first step in easing tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

Ukraine denies reports of prisoner swap with Russia

The world is backsliding in the fight against measles, which can disable or kill, especially children, with a record number of cases recorded up to August only since 2006 and nearly three times as many cases than in July 2018 at that time, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. The biggest outbreaks of the highly contagious disease -- one person with measles can spread it up to 18 non-immunized other people -- are raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (155,460 cases), Madagascar (127,454) and Ukraine (54,246) it said.

Global measles cases three times higher than last year - WHO

Eight people were killed and ten were injured in a hotel fire in Ukraine's port city of Odesa early Saturday, emergency services said.&nbsp;

The fire broke out at 1.34 am (2234 GMT) in the southern city's Tokyo Star hotel.

Some 65 firefighters backed by 13 emergency vehicles put out the blaze three hours later.&nbsp;

Emergency services said in a statement that eight people died and ten were injured.&nbsp;

In a statement on his Facebook page, <a href="wionews.com/world/emmanuel-macron-says-new-ukraine-peace-talks-possible-under-volodymyr-zelensky-228118">President Volodymyr Zelensky</a> said four of those injured were in a critical condition.&nbsp;

Odessa authorities said around 150 people were evacuated from the area.&nbsp;

Police opened a criminal investigation into possible violations of fire safety requirements and the causes of the fire were being established.&nbsp;

"We lost eight lives overnight," Zelensky said on Facebook.&nbsp;

"And this is not due to war and shelling. It is because of criminal negligence, neglect of elementary safety standards and neglect towards human life."&nbsp;

Zelensky added he would "personally make sure" that those responsible are punished "by the norms of the law."&nbsp;

Odesa is a Black Sea port 475 kilometres (300 miles) south of Ukraine's capital Kiev. The seaside town also attracts summer tourists. 
&nbsp;

Eight people were killed and ten were injured in a hotel fire in Ukraine's port city of Odesa early Saturday, emergency services said. The fire broke out at 1.34 am (2234 GMT) in the southern city's Tokyo Star hotel.

Eight people were killed and ten were injured in a hotel fire in Ukraine's port city of Odesa early Saturday, emergency services said. The fire broke out at 1.34 am (2234 GMT) in the southern city's Tokyo Star hotel. Some 65 firefighters backed by 13 emergency vehicles put out the blaze three hours later. Emergency services said in a statement that eight people died and ten were injured. In a statement on his Facebook page, President Volodymyr Zelensky said four of those injured were in a critical condition. Odessa authorities said around 150 people were evacuated from the area. Police opened a criminal investigation into possible violations of fire safety requirements and the causes of the fire were being established. "We lost eight lives overnight," Zelensky said on Facebook. "And this is not due to war and shelling. It is because of criminal negligence, neglect of elementary safety standards and neglect towards human life." Zelensky added he would "personally make sure" that those responsible are punished "by the norms of the law." Odesa is a Black Sea port 475 kilometres (300 miles) south of Ukraine's capital Kiev. The seaside town also attracts summer tourists.

Eight killed in Ukraine hotel fire

Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were abducted on Thursday when two merchant vessels came under attack in Cameroonian waters, sources said Friday.

"Seventeen Chinese and Ukrainians were kidnapped... (of whom) nine (are) Chinese who were abducted on one of the ships," an official in the port of Douala told AFP.&nbsp;

A Cameroonian security official, likewise speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the account.

The abduction was reported on Thursday by sources in the Cameroonian navy and the country's port service, but their number and nationality were not then known.

The navy source had said the kidnappers "are probably Nigerian pirates," adding that Cameroon's security forces had launched a search for them.

The Gulf of Guinea, whose coastline stretches in a huge arc from Liberia to Gabon, is notorious for piracy as well as oil theft, illegal fishing and human and drugs trafficking.

In Malaysia, Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a watchdog agency, said the 17 seamen were seized from two ships that were attacked within hours of each other while they were anchored off Douala.

Choong said one of the ships was a multipurpose German-owned ship that flew the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.&nbsp;

"Eight crew were kidnapped from the ship consisting of a total of 12 Asian and European sailors," he said.

The other vessel was a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier managed in Greece with a Greek owner.

"There were 21 crew on board. All were Asians. Nine crew were taken," Choong told AFP.

"(The) IMB has issued a warning to all ships at Douala. We ask all ships to take additional precaution."

According to the IMB's figures, 62 seafarers were taken hostage or abducted in the area in the first half of 2019.

The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 73 percent of kidnappings and 92 percent of hostage-takings at sea worldwide, it says.

The 17 countries in the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent regions have limited surveillance and maritime defence capabilities.

They have been trying for several years to bolster their means of intervention and to put in place closer collaboration.

Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were abducted on Thursday when two merchant vessels came under attack in Cameroonian waters, sources said Friday. "Seventeen Chinese and Ukrainians were kidnapped.

Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were abducted on Thursday when two merchant vessels came under attack in Cameroonian waters, sources said Friday. "Seventeen Chinese and Ukrainians were kidnapped... (of whom) nine (are) Chinese who were abducted on one of the ships," an official in the port of Douala told AFP. A Cameroonian security official, likewise speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the account. The abduction was reported on Thursday by sources in the Cameroonian navy and the country's port service, but their number and nationality were not then known. The navy source had said the kidnappers "are probably Nigerian pirates," adding that Cameroon's security forces had launched a search for them. The Gulf of Guinea, whose coastline stretches in a huge arc from Liberia to Gabon, is notorious for piracy as well as oil theft, illegal fishing and human and drugs trafficking. In Malaysia, Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a watchdog agency, said the 17 seamen were seized from two ships that were attacked within hours of each other while they were anchored off Douala. Choong said one of the ships was a multipurpose German-owned ship that flew the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. "Eight crew were kidnapped from the ship consisting of a total of 12 Asian and European sailors," he said. The other vessel was a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier managed in Greece with a Greek owner. "There were 21 crew on board. All were Asians. Nine crew were taken," Choong told AFP. "(The) IMB has issued a warning to all ships at Douala. We ask all ships to take additional precaution." According to the IMB's figures, 62 seafarers were taken hostage or abducted in the area in the first half of 2019. The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 73 percent of kidnappings and 92 percent of hostage-takings at sea worldwide, it says. The 17 countries in the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent regions have limited surveillance and maritime defence capabilities. They have been trying for several years to bolster their means of intervention and to put in place closer collaboration.

17 Chinese, Ukrainian seamen kidnapped off Cameroon

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