The Trump administration released an unclassified transcript (Original PDF) of President Trump’s first, April phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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MEMORANDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
SUBJECT: (U/ /FOUO) Telephone Conversation with
Interpreter: Provided by the Department of Ste
Notetakers: The White House Situation Room
PARTICIPANT: President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine
DATE, TIME April 21, 2019, 4:29 – 4:45 p.m. EDT
AND PLACE: Air Force One
(U) The President: I’d like to congratulate you on a job well
done, and congratulations on a fantastic election.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Good to hear from you. Thank you
so very much. It’s very nice to hear from you, and I appreciate
the congratulations.
(U) The President: That was an incredible election.
(U) President-elect Zelensky; Again, thank you so very much.
As you can see, we tried very hard to do our best. We had you as
a great example.
CU) The President: I think you will do a great job. I have many
friends in Ukraine who know you and like you. I have many
friends from Ukraine and they think – frankly – expected you to
win. And it’s really an amazing thing that you’ve done.
CAUTION: A Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation (TELCON) is not a verbatim transcript of a discussion. The text in this document records the notes and recollections of Situation Room Duty Officers and NBC policy staff assigned to listen and memorialize the conversation in written form as the conversation takes place. A number of factors can affect the accuracy of the record including poor telecommunications connections and variations in accent and/or interpretation. The word “inaudible” is used to indicate portions of a conversation that the notetaker was unable to hear.
An Interpreter facilitated this conversation. Differences in interpretation may result In subtle
differences in the exact meaning of phrases.
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I guess, in a way, I did something similar. We’re making
tremendous progress in the U.S. [United States} – we have the
most tremendous economy ever. I just wanted to congratulate you.
I have no doubt you will be a fantastic president.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: First of all, thank you so very
much, again, for the congratulations. We in Ukraine are an
independent country, and independent Ukraine – we’re going to do
everything for the people. You are, as I said, a great example.
We are hoping we can expand on our job as you did. You will
always, also, be a great example for many. You are a great
example for our new managers. I’d also like to invite you, if
it’s possible, to the inauguration. I know how busy you are, but
if it’s possible for you to come to the inauguration ceremony,
that would be a great, great thing for you to do to be with us on
that day.
(U) The President: Well, that’s very nice. I’ll look into that,
and well – give us the date and, at a very minimum, we’ll have a
great representative. Or more than one from the United States
will be with you on that great day. So, we will have somebody,
at a minimum, at a very, very high level, and they will be with
you. Really, an incredible day for an incredible achievement.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Again, thank you, and we’re
looking forward to your visit or to the visit of a high-level
delegation. But there’s no word that can describe our wonderful
country. How nice, warm, and friendly our people are, how tasty
and delicious our food is, and how wonderful Ukraine is. Words
cannot describe our country, so it would be best for you to see
it yourself. So, if you can come, that would be great. So,
again, I invite you to come.
(U) The President: Well, I agree with you about your country,
and I look forward to it. When I owned Miss Universe, they
always had great people. Ukraine was always very well
represented. When you’re settled in and ready, I’d like to
invite you to the White House. We’ll have a lot of things to
talk about, but we’re with you all the way.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Well, thank you for the
invitation. We accept the invitation and look forward to the
visit. Thank you again. The whole team and I are looking
forward to that visit. Thank you, again, for the
congratulations. And I think that it will still be great if you
could come and be with us on this very important day of our
inauguration. The results are incredible – they’re very
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impressive for us. So, it will be absolutely fantastic if you
could come and be with us on that day.
(U) The President: Very good. We’ll let you know very soon, and
we will see you, very soon, regardless. Congratulations – and,
please, say hello to the Ukrainian people and your family. Let
them know that I send my best regards from our country.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Well, thank you, again. You have
a safe flight and see you soon.
(U) The President: Take care of yourself and give a great speech
today. You take care of yourself, and I’ll see you soon.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Thank you very much. It is
difficult for me, but I will practice English and we’ll meet in
English. Thank you very much.
(U) The President: [Laughter] All that’s beautiful to hear!
That’s really good. I could not do that in your language. I’m
very impressed. Thank you very much.
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Thank you very much. I’ll see
you very soon.
(U) The President: Great day. Good luck
(U) President-elect Zelensky: Goodbye.
End of Conversation
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trump-zelensky.call-4-21-19Original PDF File of the Trump
