Ukraine hires BGR Group to lobby in Washington
The administration of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has hired the BGR Group to lobby on behalf of Kyiv’s interests in Washington, Deutsche Welle reported, citing information from the Foreign Agent Registration Unit (FARA) of the US Department of Justice.
The BGR Group was founded by Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and Governor of Mississippi.
According to federal law, all individuals and firms that carry out foreign governments orders should report such actions and disclose information about customers and contracts. The BGR Group submitted the relevant information to FARA on January 1st, 2017. According to the information provided, the client’s listed address is “Bankova 11, Kyiv, Ukraine,” and Ukraine’s financial obligations to the BGR Group amount to $50,000 on a monthly basis, at least until the end of 2017.
The company’s goal is to, “strengthen US- Ukraine relations and to encourage American entrepreneurs to invest in Ukraine."
In late December, Haley Barbour and the BGR Group agreed with Ukraine on "development and implementation" strategies in the areas of business development and government relations that focus on organizing meetings with American officials.