Former Austrian Chancellor admits to lobbying Ukraine’s interests for money in 2012-2013
In an interview with Presse am Sonntag, Former Austrian Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer admitted that he received money to lobby in favor of Ukraine drawing closer to the EU in 2012-2013, but not from Paul Manafort, who represented the interests of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Gusenbauer confirmed that he had lobbied Ukraine’s interests, and called it a “noble cause”.
Furthermore, he did not deny that he received payment for it, but claimed not to remember the amount. He also said that he was not paid by Manafort, but by a company from the US or UK. He emphasized that he has not had business dealings with Manafort, although he has met him on two occasions.
US electoral campaign manager Paul Manafort is the primary suspect in an investigation into a collusion between Donald Trump’s team and Russia, in particular due to his connections with Russians and work for Viktor Yanukovych. In autumn last year it was also reported that Manafort may have been complicit in the non-signing of the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement in 2013.