(CNN) Former US special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker explained in his opening statement to Congress that he connected the President's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani with Ukraine's leadership in an effort to convince Giuliani — and, through him, President Donald Trump — there was new leadership in Ukraine that could be trusted.

In Volker's statement, which was delivered during his closed-door testimony Thursday and obtained by CNN, the US diplomat portrays himself as someone who was seeking to divert Giuliani's influence on the President and help Trump see that the new government was serious about reform.

Volker said that Trump was "skeptical" of Ukraine's leadership, which he said was understandable given the country's history of corruption, but he also added that the President suggested that Ukraine "tried to take me down," a reference to the unproven allegations that Ukraine was involved in the 2016 election meddling.

"He said that Ukraine was a corrupt country, full of 'terrible people,'" Volker said of Trump. "He said they 'tried to take me down.' In the course of that conversation, he referenced conversations with Mayor Giuliani. It was clear to me that despite the positive news and recommendations being conveyed by this official delegation about the new President, President Trump had a deeply rooted negative view on Ukraine rooted in the past. He was clearly receiving other information from other sources, including Mayor Giuliani, that was more negative, causing him to retain this negative view."

Volker's testimony adds new context to the explosive text messages he provided Congress with his testimony. The texts were released Thursday by the House Intelligence Committee. They show that the push from Trump and Giuliani for Ukraine to launch an investigation was linked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's desire to have a face-to-face meeting with Trump.

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