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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'>“ <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-02/forget-creepy-biden-has-major-ukraine-problem"><span style='color:red'>The prosecutor was leading a wide-ranging corruption investigation into the natural gas firm</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> – while Biden’s son, Hunter, sat on the board of directors. Corruption is a major problem in Ukraine, and Biden contributed to it, bringing U.S. corruption to Ukraine. “</span><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Ukraine: Why ‘OU’ Lost by a Landslide<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>April 22, 2019 • <a href="https://consortiumnews.com/2019/04/22/ukraine-why-ou-lost-by-a-landslide/#comments"><span style='color:blue'>24 Comments</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Save<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>The answer is clear if you read U.S. documents published by <i>WikiLeaks</i> in 2006, writes Kevin Zeese.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='text-align:left'><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-22-at-10.03.22-AM-1.png"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=1011 height=420 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D4F9AD.789C3AB0" alt="Zelensky, in 2016 episode of Ukrainian TV comedy “Servant of the People.” (YouTube) "></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Ukraine’s next president in 2016 trailer for the TV comedy “Servant of the People.” </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>(YouTube)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>By </span></b><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/tag/kevin-zeese/"><span style='color:red'>Kevin Zeese</span></a></span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><br></span><i><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'><a href="https://popularresistance.org/ukraine-why-ou-lost-by-a-landslide/"><span style='color:black'>PopularResistance.org</span></a></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Kevin-Zeese-.jpg"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D4F9AD.789C3AB0" alt="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Kevin-Zeese--100x100.jpg"></span></a><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>W</span></b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>ith his landslide victory, Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian who won 73 percent of the vote, will become the president of Ukraine. Understanding how this occurred becomes easy when people review U.S. government documents published by WikiLeaks about outgoing President Petro Poroshenko.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Who is “OU?” Our Ukraine. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>In </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06KIEV1706_a.html"><span style='color:red'>a classified diplomatic cable from 2006 released by <i>WikiLeaks</i></span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>, U.S. officials refer to Poroshenko as “Our Ukraine (OU) insider <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petro_Poroshenko"><span style='color:red'>Petro Poroshenko</span></a>.”<b> </b>Our Ukraine has been in the pocket of the U.S. for 13 years.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>The U.S. knew Poroshenko was corrupt. A separate <a href="http://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06KIEV2038_a.html"><span style='color:red'>cable released by <i>WikiLeaks</i></span></a> makes that clear. The May 2006 cable states: “Poroshenko was tainted by credible corruption allegations, but wielded significant influence within OU; Poroshenko’s price had to be paid.”</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Allowing his corruption was a price the U.S. was willing to pay to have Our Ukraine serving as president.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='text-align:left'><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Billboard_Yulia_Tymoshenko_2018.jpg"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=500 height=946 id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D4F9AD.789C3AB0" alt="2018 billboard for Yulia Tymoshenko in Kiev. (Wikimedia Commons) "></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>2018 billboard for Tymoshenko in Kiev. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>(Wikimedia Commons)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>The document also describes the “bad blood” between Poroshenko and </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yulia_Tymoshenko"><span style='color:red'>Yuliya Tymoshenko</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>. This bad blood continues to this day as Tymoshenko came in third in the first round of the elections, and it seemed to continue through the general election, as those who voted for her, voted for Zelensky — or against Poroshenko.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Here is how the memo describes the Tymoshenko-Poroshenko relationship: “there is a thin line between love and hate” it says and describes how Tymoshenko and Poroshenko might appear in public, shake hands and agree to “do business” together, but that a coalition between them was unlikely to last.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Former U.S. Vice President </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden"><span style='color:red'>Joe Biden</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>, who is expected to announce a 2020 run for president, is emblematic of the corruption of the U.S. in Ukraine. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>As </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://wikileaks.org/berats-box/emailid/3021"><i><span style='color:red'>WikiLeaks</span></i><span style='color:red'> reports</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>, Biden pledged U.S. financial and technical assistance to Ukraine for “unconventional” gas resources (i.e. fracking). Biden’s son Hunter was put on the board of the largest private gas company in Ukraine (along with a financier and long-time family friend of former Secretary of State John Kerry) and when that gas company was threatened with investigation, with video cameras rolling at the Council on Foreign Relations, [starts at 52.00] </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://www.cfr.org/event/foreign-affairs-issue-launch-former-vice-president-joe-biden"><span style='color:red'>Biden described how</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> he threatened Poroshenko in March 2016, saying that the Obama administration would pull $1 billion. Biden claimed he gave the country six hours to fire the prosecutor before he left Ukraine or he would bankrupt the country. OU fired him. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Why did Biden want him fired? </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-02/forget-creepy-biden-has-major-ukraine-problem"><span style='color:red'>The prosecutor was leading a wide-ranging corruption investigation into the natural gas firm</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> – while Biden’s son, Hunter, sat on the board of directors. Corruption is a major problem in Ukraine, and Biden contributed to it, bringing U.S. corruption to Ukraine.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>After Poroshenko replaced the prosecutor with one to Biden’s liking a <i>WikiLeaks</i> document shows he was </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/15103"><span style='color:red'>prepared to move forward with the signing of the third $1 billion loan guarantee</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> agreement.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='text-align:left'><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Poroshenko-e1555942672197.jpg"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=500 height=397 id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D4F9AD.789C3AB0" alt="https://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Poroshenko-e1555942672197.jpg"></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=left style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Poroshenko: Enriched as country lost. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>(Wikimedia Commons)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Now the two pro-U.S. politicians, Tymoshenko and Poroshenko, have been replaced by a political unknown in Zelensky, or </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'>“<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/ukraine-election-comedian-zelensky-is-favorite-to-be-ukraine-president.html"><span style='color:red'>Ze</span></a>,”</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> as he’s more popularly known. The incoming president has been vague on what policies he will pursue but says he wants to negotiate peace with Russia over eastern Ukraine, saying he was prepared to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Ukraine is sick of corruption. Adding to Poroshenko’s corruption, the U.S. brought more corruption. Not surprisingly, </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://www.transparency.org/country/UKR"><span style='color:red'>corruption under Poroshenko worsened</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>. The country is tired of the conflict between Kiev and East Ukraine and Zelensky said he would try to end the war. And, the country has become <a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/bne-intellinews-imf-ranks-ukraine-as-europes-poorest-country.html"><span style='color:black'>the </span><span style='color:red'>poorest in Europe</span></a> as the promise of close ties with the U.S. have not resulted in the benefits promised.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>While the country has gotten poorer, Poroshenko remains one of the wealthiest men in Ukraine. He has been surrounded by corruption scandals as various businessmen close to him have been caught up </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/world/europe/ukraine-corruption-military.html?module=inline"><span style='color:red'>in scandals involving corruption.</span></a></span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'> The common view is </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:red'><a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/4/21/18507822/volodymyr-zelensky-ukraine-president-comedian"><span style='color:red'>Ukraine has gotten poorer as Poroshenko has gotten richer</span></a>.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>All this was predictable with what the U.S. knew about OU, and thanks to <i>WikiLeaks</i> should not be a surprise to anyone.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>