US official apologizes to EU over disparaging remarks
US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has apologized over derogatory comments made about the EU during a leaked phone conversation. The US has indicated Russia may have played a role in the leak.
Nuland (pictured above) apologized on Friday for the comments allegedly made during a private phone conversation with US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, the US State Department said.
The audio, posted this week on YouTube, identifies Nuland as using colorful language to vent her frustration at stalled international efforts to end Ukraine's three-month political standoff.
In the recording, a female voice can be heard saying, "So that would be great, I think, to help glue this thing and have the UN help glue it, and, you know..." Then a graphic four-letter word was used when referring to the EU.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Nuland "has been in contact with her EU counterparts and, of course, has apologized."
While declining to confirm the recording's contents, Psaki did not dispute its authenticity.
"I did not say it was not authentic," Psaki said.
...
"So I don't think Klitschko should go into the government," Nuland is reported to have said. "I don't think it's necessary. I don't think it's a good idea."
"I think Yatsenyuk is the guy who's got the economic experience, the governing experience. What he needs is Klitschko and Tyahnybok on the outside. He needs to be talking to them four times a week."
http://www.dw.de/us-official-apologizes-to-eu-over-disparaging-remarks/a-17415370