KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine will do everything in its power to hold to account those accused of meddling in elections in the United States, Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on several Ukrainian individuals and entities, accusing them of U.S. election interference and associating with a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker linked to efforts by President Donald Trump’s allies to dig up dirt on President-elect Joe Biden and his son.
“For the sake of clarity – regardless of party affiliation, this administration will do everything in its power to hold those responsible for meddling in U.S. elections,” Yermak said.
The U.S. Treasury Department accused the seven individuals and four entities of involvement in a Russia-linked foreign influence network associated with Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach. Derkach was hit with sanctions by the U.S. government in September over accusations he tried to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election won by Biden.
Among those blacklisted was Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Dubinsky, from Zelenskiy’s ruling Servant of the People party. Dubinsky denied interfering in the election.
Derkach has been a key figure in promoting unsubstantiated allegations that Hunter Biden improperly used his influence with his father – vice president at the time – to help Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company on whose board he sat, and that Joe Biden improperly pressured Ukraine to fire a top prosecutor who had investigated the firm.
Derkach said in a statement those blacklisted were being punished for exposing alleged corruption.
(Reporting by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean)
