Ukrainian Leader Felt Trump Pressure Before Taking Office

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s newly elected leader told advisers he was worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden.  Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group together in Kyiv on May 7, where they discussed how to navigate Trump’s insistence for a probe and to avoid becoming entangled in American elections.  The meeting was recounted to The Associated Press by three people familiar with the details who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of an issue that has roiled U.S.-Ukrainian relations.  The meeting came before Zelenskiy was inaugurated but about two weeks after Trump called to offer his congratulations on the night of the Ukrainian leader’s April 21 election.