Ukraine aid supporters excluded: Who Trump plans to appoint to his administration
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The most consistent supporters of Ukraine from the previous Donald Trump administration will not be present in the current one, as Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies at Odesa National University, told RBC-Ukraine.
“This time, Trump wants to surround himself exclusively with people who are absolutely loyal and will not dare to contradict him, and who, in principle, share his views. Since Trump is critical of support for Ukraine, there is no place for such people in his team,” Dubovyk said.
According to him, people like Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, David Sacks, and others who also do not believe in further support for Ukraine will probably have more weight.
Oleksandr Leonov, executive director of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies, agrees. “I think Trump is consciously rejecting such heavyweights who could contradict him, who might have their own opinions, etc,” the expert said.
Trump's new team will not include two people who have been known for their hawkish stance on foreign policy.
This is Nikki Haley, the US Permanent Representative to the UN in 2017-2018. She was Trump's rival in this year's internal party elections, so she is considered his personal enemy.
Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State and Director of the CIA during Trump's first presidency, will also not hold any positions. Pompeo is a member of the board of directors of the Ukrainian company Kyivstar.
CNN reported that billionaire Elon Musk has a strong influence on Trump's team appointments.
Musk was present during calls to Trump from several world leaders and participated in making personnel decisions. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla even made it clear which appointments he prefers.
Read more about the team of the US president-elect in RBC-Ukraine's article Trump's week: Changes for Ukraine after US election and what comes next.
