In a Sept. 9 text exchange between President Trump's three top official envoys to Ukraine, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, expressed concern about Trump's decision to withhold military aid to Kyiv, according to copies of the text messages obtained by ABC News. "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," Taylor wrote to Gordon Sondland, the U.S ambassador to the European Union, and Kurt Volker, until recently the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine.
After speaking with Trump, The New York Times reports, Sondland responded to Taylor: "Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The president has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo's of any kind. The president is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign. I suggest we stop the back and forth by text."
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