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Giuliani Held Discussions to Represent Ukrainian Bank in Summer: Report

The talks were held while he was leading a pressure campaign on the country’s new leadership on behalf of President Trump.

Rudy Giuliani reportedly held discussions about representing a state-owned Ukrainian bank in a legal dispute this summer, while he was leading a pressure campaign on Ukraine on behalf of President Trump. Bloomberg News reports the president’s personal lawyer has confirmed holding the summer discussions with attorney representing Privatbank. They reportedly wanted to know if Giuliani could help in a civil suit to recover assets linked to a former owner who has ties to Ukraine’s president and is the subject of a federal investigation in the U.S. Giuliani didn't take on the client, but the talks indicate his willingness to get involved in matters with potential conflicts. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that two associates of Giuliani—Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman—tried to recruit a top Ukrainian energy official in March in a proposed takeover of the state oil-and-gas company Naftogaz. The men, currently facing federal campaign-finance charges, are reported to have accused the company’s chief executive and the then-U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch of being part of a “Soros cartel.”