KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation into attempts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said in a statement on the presidential website on Thursday.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskiy’s office, said Ukraine would do everything in its power to bring to justice forces within the country and outside it who tried to damage relations between Ukraine and the United States.
“The State Bureau of Investigation has opened a criminal case,” Yermak was quoted as saying in an interview to the Ukrainian news outlet NV.
“The investigation is underway, and we are waiting for its results. The investigation must answer a lot of questions.”
The United States in January 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 then President Donald Trump’s allies to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son.
Among those blacklisted was Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Dubinsky, from Zelenskiy’s ruling Servant of the People party. Dubinsky denied interfering in the election. Servant of the People may vote to expel Dubinskiy from its parliamentary faction.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Peter Graff)
