Ukraine concerned as US envoy named in Trump scandal quits

Ukrainian politicians on Saturday expressed alarm after US special representative on Kiev affairs Kurt Volker resigned following a summons by US Congress to answer questions in an impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump.

Volker was appointed in 2017 to take charge of US policy on Ukraine, in particular overseeing critical Washington support to the country as it faces a separatist insurgency backed by Russia.

He resigned Friday after being ordered to answer questions in the impeachment investigation, a source familiar with the matter told AFP.

Ukrainian ex-president Petro Poroshenko called news of Volker's decision "disturbing" and praised his contribution to "strengthening of our strategic partnership with the United States."

"It would be hard to overstate his firmness and strategic vision countering the Russian aggression," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

"With Kurt, we all were feeling more confident in Ukraine." Former foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said the resignation was ...