Yes, but not that one. It seems this "drug deal" with Giuliani isn't the first time Trump's personal lawyer has been involved with politics in Ukraine. In 2017, Michael Cohen was meddling in much the same way and in exactly the same role as Trump's personal lawyer.
Take a look at this New York Times article from February 2017. Also note the context of two critical phrases in it:
When Trump became president, Poroshenko was president of Ukraine. President Obama had imposed sanctions against Russia for invading eastern Ukraine. Putin and all pro-Russian actors really wanted those to be removed.
A week before Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser, Cohen hand-delivered a sealed proposal to his office, outlining a way for Trump to lift sanctions against Russia by establishing peace with Ukraine. If Russia and Ukraine were no longer technically at war, then there would be no need for sanctions. All they wanted in return was for Lutsenko to drop the Ukranian investigation into Paul Manafort.
Cohen has a personal connection to Ukraine: He is married to a Ukrainian woman and once worked with relatives there to establish an ethanol business.
Before the plan could be considered, Flynn was forced to resign and was convicted of lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. It was Comey's refusal to drop the investigation against Flynn that prompted Trump to fire him, bragging about it the day after with the same Russian ambassador that Flynn had been talking to. At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.
"The amateur diplomats say their goal is simply to help settle a grueling, three-year conflict that has cost 10,000 lives. 'Who doesn’t want to help bring about peace?' Mr. Cohen asked."
But the proposal contains more than just a peace plan. Andrii V. Artemenko, the Ukrainian lawmaker, who sees himself as a Trump-style leader of a future Ukraine, claims to have evidence — “names of companies, wire transfers” — showing corruption by the Ukrainian president, Petro O. Poroshenko, that could help oust him. And Mr. Artemenko said he had received encouragement for his plans from top aides to Mr. Putin.
The two others involved in the effort have somewhat questionable pasts: Mr. Sater, 50, a Russian-American, pleaded guilty to a role in a stock manipulation scheme decades ago that involved the Mafia. Mr. Artemenko spent two and a half years in jail in Kiev in the early 2000s on embezzlement charges, later dropped, which he said had been politically motivated.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/18/mueller-russia-probe-ukraine-peace-plan-white-house-trump-598034
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/victor-vekselberg-michael-cohen-andrii-artemenko-russia-ukraine
https://themoscowproject.org/collusion/sater-cohen-ukrainian-politician-bring-flynn-peace-plan/
Take a look at this New York Times article from February 2017. Also note the context of two critical phrases in it:
- "...The amateur diplomats..."
- "...the diplomatic freelancing..."
When Trump became president, Poroshenko was president of Ukraine. President Obama had imposed sanctions against Russia for invading eastern Ukraine. Putin and all pro-Russian actors really wanted those to be removed.
A week before Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser, Cohen hand-delivered a sealed proposal to his office, outlining a way for Trump to lift sanctions against Russia by establishing peace with Ukraine. If Russia and Ukraine were no longer technically at war, then there would be no need for sanctions. All they wanted in return was for Lutsenko to drop the Ukranian investigation into Paul Manafort.
Cohen has a personal connection to Ukraine: He is married to a Ukrainian woman and once worked with relatives there to establish an ethanol business.
Before the plan could be considered, Flynn was forced to resign and was convicted of lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. It was Comey's refusal to drop the investigation against Flynn that prompted Trump to fire him, bragging about it the day after with the same Russian ambassador that Flynn had been talking to. At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.
"The amateur diplomats say their goal is simply to help settle a grueling, three-year conflict that has cost 10,000 lives. 'Who doesn’t want to help bring about peace?' Mr. Cohen asked."
But the proposal contains more than just a peace plan. Andrii V. Artemenko, the Ukrainian lawmaker, who sees himself as a Trump-style leader of a future Ukraine, claims to have evidence — “names of companies, wire transfers” — showing corruption by the Ukrainian president, Petro O. Poroshenko, that could help oust him. And Mr. Artemenko said he had received encouragement for his plans from top aides to Mr. Putin.
The two others involved in the effort have somewhat questionable pasts: Mr. Sater, 50, a Russian-American, pleaded guilty to a role in a stock manipulation scheme decades ago that involved the Mafia. Mr. Artemenko spent two and a half years in jail in Kiev in the early 2000s on embezzlement charges, later dropped, which he said had been politically motivated.
While it is unclear if the White House will take the proposal seriously, the diplomatic freelancing has infuriated Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, said Mr. Artemenko “is not entitled to present any alternative peace plans on behalf of Ukraine to any foreign government, including the U.S. administration.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/18/mueller-russia-probe-ukraine-peace-plan-white-house-trump-598034
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/victor-vekselberg-michael-cohen-andrii-artemenko-russia-ukraine
https://themoscowproject.org/collusion/sater-cohen-ukrainian-politician-bring-flynn-peace-plan/
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