AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
- Bill Taylor, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine, on Thursday went to the frontlines of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
- He has emerged as a key player in the impeachment inquiry, offering one of the most damning testimonies against President Donald Trump.
- Taylor corroborated the existence of an explicit quid pro quo involving Trump freezing roughly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine and his requests for certain investigations.
- He has also excoriated the decision to withhold the military aid, describing it as harmful to US national security and a move that could embolden Russia to be even more aggressive toward Ukraine.
- The Vietnam veteran turned diplomat will offer the first public testimony in the impeachment inquiry on Wednesday.
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The top US diplomat to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, on Thursday visited the frontlines of Ukraine's conflict with pro-Russian separatists — less than a week before he's set to offer the first public testimony in the impeachment inquiry.
Taylor was joined by Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his visit to the conflict zone. Yermak is also at the center of the impeachment inquiry as his name has come up in testimony in relation to the broad efforts from President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure Ukraine into launching certain investigations. See the rest of the story at Business Insider NOW WATCH: Extremists turned a frog meme into a hate symbol, but Hong Kong protesters revived it as an emblem of hope See Also: SEE ALSO: Transcript of Bill Taylor's testimony underscores extreme lengths Trump went to in urging Ukraine to investigate Bidens |