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Ukraine’s Zelensky not planning to release full transcript of talk with Trump

Zelensky stressed that Ukraine does not launch investigations at other countries’ requests

KIEV, September 30. /TASS/. Ukraine is unlikely to release the accurate transcript of the phone conversation between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader told reporters on Monday.

"There are nuances and things which I think would be wrong to make public," Evropeiska Pravda (European Truth) newspaper quotes Zelensky as saying.

Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine does not launch investigations at other countries’ requests. "We will not be ordered to do something. We are an independent country," the Ukrainian president said answering a question whether Kiev would initiate criminal proceedings against former US Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter at Trump’s request. "We are open, we are ready to investigate, but this has nothing to do with me. Our independent law enforcement agencies are ready to investigate any cases of violation of laws."

A huge scandal broke out in Washington in September after rumors emerged that Trump had solicited Kiev’s help to get re-elected for a second tenure in 2020. The rumors suggested that the US leader pressured his Ukrainian counterpart to launch an investigation against Hunter Biden, son of former US Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for Washington’s financial and military aid. As a result, the US House of Representatives controlled by the Democratic Party announced that an impeachment inquiry had been launched against Trump on the grounds of these suspicions. Democrat Biden is currently looking as the most likely candidate to face off with Trump at the upcoming US elections.

On September 25, the White House released a transcript of the July conversation between the two leaders. However, the document had a note at the bottom, which reads, "the text in this document records the notes and recollections of Situation Room Duty Officers and NSC policy staff assigned to listen and memorialize the conversation in written form as the conversation takes place." "A number of factors can affect the accuracy of the record, including poor telecommunications connections and variations in accent and/or interpretation. The word "inaudible" is used to indicate portions of a conversation that the notetaker was unable to hear," the note continues.