Ukraine no-fly proponent has ties to Trump's 2019 impeachment: report

According to a report from Mother Jones, one of the top advocates for a "limited" no-fly zone over Ukraine as Russia continues its unprovoked invasion of the country had a hand in the denial of military aid to Ukraine that eventually led to Donald Trump's first impeachment.

The report notes that former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker has become a passionate advocate for the defensive maneuver that some believe could instead expand the war.

As Dan Friedman of Mother Jones wrote, there is some irony in Volker coming to Ukraine's defense now considering his involvement in the 2019 attempt by the former president to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on now-President Joe Biden in return for military aid.

Writing, "President Joe Biden and even usually hawkish members of Congress have rejected this step. That’s because enforcing a no-fly zone would require US or NATO planes to shoot down Russian aircraft, or threaten to, risking a wider war between the US and Russia," Friedman adds, "Volker’s push for Biden to impose a no-fly zone, a step Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked NATO to take, is a bit ironic. Volker in 2019 was involved in Trump’s effort to block the delivery of $400 million of US military aid to Ukraine."

Related: GOP lawmaker reveals 'biggest regret' is not voting to impeach Trump for extorting Ukraine

The report notes that, during Trump's first impeachment, Volker's testimony was used by Senate Republicans to absolve the former president.

"Volker made claims that were seized on by Republicans to argue that Trump did not seek an illicit 'quid pro quo' with Ukraine. His claims helped Trump evade responsibility for using Ukraine’s national security needs as leverage to get foreign assistance in the 2020 election," the Mother Jones report states. "When Trump in 2019 froze aid to Ukraine that Congress had already authorized, Volker was serving as US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations. Volker’s main role in the affair was to connect Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer, who had been scouring Ukraine for dirt on Biden."

According to Friedman, "Volker later claimed that he was eager to make sure Ukraine did receive the aid. He said he thought helping the Ukrainians give Trump what he wanted was the way to achieve that goal. But in an October 2019 deposition before House Intelligence Committee and in televised testimony before in November, Volker also repeatedly claimed that he thought Trump and Giuliani were concerned about general corruption in Ukraine but that he had no idea their pressure on Zelenskyy had anything to do with Joe Biden."

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