Page:Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States — Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives.pdf/120

 exacerbate these dynamics; for example, the day after Presidents Zelensky and Putin met to negotiate an end to the war in their border region, on December 10, President Trump met with Russia's top envoy in the Oval Office, but has yet to schedule a White House meeting with President Zelensky.

Second, our national security goals in support of Ukraine are part of a "broader strategic approach to Europe," whereby we seek to facilitate negotiation of conflicts in Europe, maintain peace and order in that region, and prevent further Russian aggression not just in Ukraine but in Europe and elsewhere. Ambassador Taylor explained the importance of Ukraine to these policy goals in his testimony:

Russians are violating all of the rules, treaties, understandings that they committed to that actually kept peace in Europe for nearly 70 years. Until they invaded Ukraine in 2014, they had abided by sovereignty of nations, of inviolability of borders. That rule of law, that order that kept the peace in Europe and allowed for prosperity as well as peace in Europe was violated by the Russians. And if we don't push back on that, on those violations, then that will continue. … [This] affects the kind of world that we want to see abroad. So that affects our national interests very directly. Ukraine is on the front line of that conflict.

Third, President Trump's actions diminished President Zelensky's ability to advance his anticorruption reforms in Ukraine—and, in turn, to help the United States promote our ideals abroad. President Zelensky, who ran on a strong anti-corruption platform, was elected by a large majority of Ukrainians; subsequent to that election, Ukrainians voted to replace 80% of their Parliament to endorse a "platform consistent with our democratic values, our reform priorities, and our strategic interests." Mr. Kent thus emphasized that President Zelensky's anti-corruption efforts could ensure that "the Ukrainian Government has the ability to go after corruption and effectively investigate, prosecute, and judge alleged criminal activities using appropriate institutional mechanisms, that is, to create and follow the rule of law." Of course, it is always in our national security interest to help advance such democratic and anti-corruption platforms. At a time of shifting alliances, "Ukrainians and freedom loving people everywhere are watching the example we set here of democracy and rule of law." "If Ukraine is able to enforce that anti-corruption agenda, it can serve as an example to other