President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani lobbied a senior Ukraine official on behalf of a former client during a meeting in Madrid where he was also pressing on behalf of Trump for an investigation of Hunter Biden’s involvement with a Ukrainian energy company.
The former client, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a boxer-turned-politician and longtime Giuliani client, believed he would be fired from a separate post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Klitschko’s additional role as the appointed head of the Kyiv city administration granted him significant influence over the city’s $2 billion budget.
In an interview with the Washington Post, former Giuliani associate Lev Parnas said Giuliani urged the Zelensky adviser he met with in Madrid to keep Klitschko in the position.
“Rudy told him, ‘Make sure Klitschko stays,’” said Parnas, who is currently under federal indictment.
In September, Giuliani made a similar remark on Twitter, praising Klitschko.
Reducing the power of Mayor Klitschko of Kiev was a very bad sign particularly based on the advice of an aide to the President of Ukraine who has the reputation of being a fixer. The former champion is very much admired and respected in the US.
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 7, 2019
The Zelensky official, Andriy Yermak, confirmed the conversation to the Washington Post but said Giuliani told him that he did not wish to pressure him.
