A key player in coordinating US military assistance and organizing international support for Ukraine, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs Laura Cooper is resigning. This was reported by UNN with reference to the publication Politico.
Laura Cooper leaves the Pentagon a few days before Donald Trump takes over the White House, which will affect the war in Ukraine.
"Her departure reflects a growing sense of unease in the Pentagon about the new administration and how it plans to treat career civil servants and military officers," the newspaper writes.
Laura Cooper was considered a leading expert on Ukrainian and Russian issues and a key official in coordinating the massive US military aid to Ukraine.
Pentagon and State Department officials who worked closely with her said they feared she would be targeted for prosecution under Trump for her testimony and ties to Biden's Ukraine policy.
In 2019, she was called to testify before Congress about then-President Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, his rival in the 2020 presidential election. Trump also faced accusations that as part of this pressure, he concealed hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. The Senate cleared Trump of these charges in a largely party-line vote.
Cooper testified in a closed session of congressional committees, despite a letter from the White House warning her not to appear at the hearing. She also repeated her testimony during a public hearing. Her testimony, according to the transcript, was limited to discussing the delay in providing Ukraine with $400 million in military aid that Congress had allocated for training. She told lawmakers that the money had been "withheld without explanation" and that U.S. officials "began to raise concerns about how this could be done legally.
In coordinating the aid, Cooper has established good relations with many representatives of the Ukrainian government.
Addendum
On Ukraine's Independence Day in 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Laura Cooper the Order of Princess Olga, II Class.
Donald Trump has appointed retired General Keith Kellogg as his special representative for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg presented a plan to end the war, which includes a freeze on the front lines and negotiations.
