Trump Associates Involved In Secret Plan to Lift Russian Sanctions
Several of Trump’s associates — none of which have official roles in the government but are connected to Trump’s businesses or campaign — have been involved with a peace proposal for Russia and Ukraine.
The proposal would result in U.S. sanctions being lifted on Russia, and has been reportedly criticized by Ukrainian government officials. The New York Times even reported that one of Trump’s associates commented that “he had received encouragement for his plans from top aides to Putin.”
The Times also reported Sunday that the plan resulted from a meeting in January that included Michael Cohen, a Trump organization lawyer; Andrii V. Artimenko, a Ukrainian politician; and Felix Sater, a Trump business associate with dealings in Russia.
The plan would allow Russia to retain some territory it took from Ukraine during the military conflict of 2014 even as sanctions are lifted.
The Times quoted Ukraine Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly slamming the plan, and saying that Artemenko “is not entitled to present any alternative peace plans on behalf of Ukraine to any foreign government, including the U.S. administration.”
The Times said that the plan was delivered to the desk of Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn before his resignation last week in a sealed envelope.
The report from the Times and later confirmed by the Washington Post about Trump associates working on a secret plan to lift sanctions on Russia raises serious questions. For instance, why do these Trump associates, who don’t have any formal or informal role in the government, think it’s appropriate to broker this deal.
This news comes as Trump and his team are being questioned about their ties to Russia.
