Background to Trump’s Ukraine phone call


Jul 25, 2019: U.S. President Donald Trump calls Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (right), asking him to investigate potential 2020 election rival, Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden


1. 2014-2019: Hunter Biden (right) serves on board of Burisma Holdings – Ukrainian natural gas company owned by Mykola Zlochevsky (below right)

2014: Burisma is under criminal investigation over alleged tax violations

2. May 2014, London: British government freezes Zlochevsky’s bank accounts containing $23m in money-laundering probe

3. Sep 2015: Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Viktor Shokin (above), is accused by U.S. officials of “subverting” London investigation

4. Dec 2015: Vice-President Joe Biden visits Ukraine. He presses for more aggressive anti-corruption efforts by Shokin against officials, including Zlochevsky

Mar 2016: Shokin is ousted


Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters 
Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images 
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