Thread by @EpochTimes

President Trump’s campaign met with a prominent pro-Ukraine advocacy group in #Washington during the 2016 election.

The Trump campaign made it clear that Trump was not prepared to automatically send military aid to #Ukraine to confront #Russia. (Thread👇) theepochtimes.com/trump-campaign…

President Trump’s position at the time angered the pro-Ukraine advocates in attendance, said Sam Clovis, national co-chair of President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

“They wanted us to ‘confront Russia’ and provide military aid to Ukraine,” Sam Clovis told The Epoch Times.

“We told them we couldn’t do anything until we had better information. I don’t think they were very happy with that.”

Andrij Dobrinsky, communications director for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, offered his own recollection of the June meeting, which he said involved himself and a handful of other members of his group.

“The main thing was about arming Ukraine, and there was something to the effect that Ukraine would be armed without limit,” Dobrinsky said, referring to his meeting with Clovis. “I don’t recall any kind of qualifier on that.”

Then-candidate Trump quickly angered Dobrinsky’s group with one of his public statements on #Crimea.

“Mr. Trump started talking about the fact that when he was asked about Crimea he was not supportive of that return” of the territory to Ukraine from Russia, Dobrinsky said…

…“We reached out to Mr. Clovis saying this is a clear difference in what you said, and then Mr. Trump decided to say something different. Mr. Clovis had no response for us.”

“I did NOT say that we were going to support them if the candidate was elected,” Clovis said adamantly.

Clovis called the pro-Ukraine group’s recollection of the meeting is a “mischaracterization,” as evidenced by the fact that President Trump or the campaign never put out a public statement committing to arming Ukraine, as Clovis said the group demanded.

“They were very upset with the fact that we would not make a commitment before the election.”

“It would be irresponsible. It would be foolish. We were tired of paying the bill for everyone else,” Clovis said.

Full article: theepochtimes.com/trump-campaign…

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