Biden told the Council on Foreign Relations in January 2018 that he had told Ukraine’s leaders in Kyiv, “You’re not getting the billion,” and given them six hours: “I said, I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. He got fired.” [1]
That demand was U.S. policy, and not only Biden’s. In September 2015 the U.S. ambassador, Geoffrey Pyatt, said in a public speech that officials in the prosecutor general’s office had undermined a British case that froze $23 million belonging to Zlochevsky, by sending letters saying no case existed. The White House briefed reporters in December 2015 that the office needed reform. In February 2016 the IMF warned Ukraine about corruption, Shokin’s own deputy Vitaliy Kasko resigned calling the office “a hotbed of corruption,” and eight senators, including Republicans Rob Portman, Ron Johnson and Mark Kirk, wrote to Poroshenko urging reform of the prosecutor’s office. [2][3][4][5][6]
The Rada removed Shokin on 29 March 2016. The EU’s envoy called it “an opportunity to make a fresh start.” [6][7]
Approved reader comments and ratings appear here when JavaScript is on.