Did Joe Biden threaten to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine?
Based on our research, the claim that Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine to save his son's job is FALSE. The then-vice president leveraged aid dollars to persuade the country to oust its top prosecutor as part of anti-corruption efforts endorsed by other international players that were unrelated to his son, Hunter Biden.
Did Biden say a ‘negotiated settlement’ between Ukraine and Russia is possible?
US President Joe Biden speaks about the May 2022 Jobs Report on June 3, 2022, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Responding to a reporter's question on Ukraine, the President said a "negotiated settlement" between the country and Russia was likely in the future. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Other social media repeated the claim.
Did Biden push Obama to make Russia pay in blood?
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2014, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. pressed President Barack Obama to take decisive action, and fast, to make Moscow “pay in blood and money” for its aggression. The president, a Biden aide recalled, was having none of it.
How many times did Joe Biden visit Ukraine?
A look at what the former vice president actually did in Ukraine (he visited six times and spent hours on the phone with the country’s leaders) tells a different story, according to interviews with more than two dozen people knowledgeable about the situation.
How much did Joe Biden give Ukraine?
As a result, Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid as "a stick to move Ukraine forward," Kupchan said. "He was acting alongside our European allies. Everybody was of a single mind that this prosecutor was not the right guy for the job."
Why did Biden threaten to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine?
Based on our research, the claim that Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine to save his son's job is FALSE. The then-vice president leveraged aid dollars to persuade the country to oust its top prosecutor as part of anti-corruption efforts endorsed by other international players that were unrelated to his son, Hunter Biden.
Why did Shokin take over the Prosecutor General's Office?
It was because Shokin wasn't pursuing corruption among the country's politicians. As European and American diplomats pressed Ukraine to clean up its corruption, they focused on Shokin's leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office, which he took over in February 2015.
What was Shokin investigating?
In 2014, Shokin had investigated Burisma for money laundering and tax irregularities, per USA TODAY. The probe focused on 2010-12, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Hunter Biden — who joined the board in 2014 and served on it until early 2019 — was not the subject of the investigation.
Why did Biden use $1 billion?
It's true that Joe Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid to persuade Ukraine to oust its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016. But it wasn't because Shokin was investigating Burisma. It was because Shokin wasn't pursuing corruption among the country's politicians.
Who was the ambassador to Ukraine after Shokin left?
After Shokin left the Prosecutor General's Office, Jan Tombinski, the ambassador from the European Union to Ukraine, called it "an opportunity to make a fresh start.". "I hope," Tombinski said, "that the new Prosecutor General will ensure that the Office of the Prosecutor General becomes independent from political influence and pressure ...
Did the prosecutor investigate Burisma?
Prosecu tor was not investigating Burisma at the time Joe Biden called for his removal. Burisma Holdings was not under scrutiny at the time Joe Biden called for Shokin to be removed, per the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, an independent agency that has worked closely with the FBI.
Why did Biden go to Ukraine?
Mr. Biden dived into Ukraine in hopes of burnishing his statesman credentials at a time when he seemed to be winding down his political career, as his elder son, Beau, was dying and his younger one, Hunter, was struggling with addiction and financial problems.
When did Biden tell his son about his activities in Ukraine?
Mr. Biden has said he first learned of his son’s activities in Ukraine when the story broke in 2014. He told his son, “ I hope you know what you are doing, ” according to Hunter Biden’s account of their discussion in The New Yorker earlier this year.
Why did Biden want to oust Shokin?
Mr. Giuliani has claimed, without evidence, that Mr. Biden’s push to oust Mr. Shokin was an attempt to block scrutiny of his son’s actions. In fact, Mr. Biden was just one of many officials calling for Mr. Shokin to go. Good-government activists were protesting his actions in the streets, as were eurozone power players like Christine Lagarde, then the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, along with Ms. Nuland and Senate Republicans.
What is Ukraine's energy industry?
Ukraine’s energy industry, the country’s geopolitically crucial economic engine, was a central point of contention between the Obama administration and Kiev. Mr. Biden and Mr. Hochstein, echoing a similar effort by European officials, pressured Mr. Poroshenko to reform the operations of the state-owned natural gas company Naftogaz, which controlled about two-thirds of the country’s energy resources.
How many times did Biden visit Ukraine?
A look at what the former vice president actually did in Ukraine (he visited six times and spent hours on the phone with the country’s leaders) tells a different story, according to interviews with more than two dozen people knowledgeable about the situation. It casts light on one of Mr. Biden’s central arguments for himself in the primary: his eight years of diplomacy as Mr. Obama’s No. 2.
What is the role of American aid in Ukraine?
American aid to Ukraine has the power to tip the scales in a broader battle between authoritarianism and democracy.
Who was the Vice President of Ukraine in 2015?
As vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., left, met in 2015 with Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president at the time. Credit... When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2014, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. pressed President Barack Obama to take decisive action, and fast, to make Moscow “pay in blood and money” for its aggression.
How much did Hunter Biden pay his son?
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA. The Ukrainian energy company that was paying President Biden’s son Hunter $1 million a year cut his monthly compensation in half two months after his father ceased to be vice president.
Who told Hunter Biden his monthly rate would be changing?
Vadym Pozharskyi of Burisma told Hunter Biden that his monthly rate would be changing.
Did Shokin get out of office?
Three months later, Shokin was forced out of office, and nine months later, all legal proceedings against Burisma were dropped. Joe Biden has said in the past that Shokin wasn’t doing enough to crack down on corruption and that the push had nothing to do with Hunter’s position.
Who paid Hunter Biden $50,000?
The $50,000-a-month figure stems from payments made to Biden by New York-based capital management firm Rosemont Seneca Bohai. Bank records show Rosemont Seneca Bo hai received payments from Burisma, as well as dozens of other entities and individuals. It’s unclear why Rosemont Seneca Bohai was paying Hunter Biden.
Who is Hunter Biden's father?
Hunter Biden served on the board of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma while his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, oversaw policy regarding the Eastern European nation.
How much did Rosemont Seneca Bohai get from Burisma?
At the same time, Rosemont Seneca Bohai received over $3.15 million from Burisma for “consulting services.” (Rosemont Seneca Bohai was a capital management firm, not a consulting firm.) Hunter Biden had no official role with Rosemont Seneca Bohai at the time of the payments, according to the company’s business filings.
Did Hunter Biden get paid by Rosemont Seneca Bohai?
However, the Daily Caller News Foundation could not confirm the accuracy of this figure, as there is no evidence the payments from Rosemont Seneca Bohai to Hunter Biden are necessarily for his work with Burisma. (RELATED: ‘Fun Times In Beijing’: Hunter Biden Received $700,000 From Company That Held Stake In Chinese Investment Firm)