This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
On July 25, 2019, President Donald Trump had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he sought investigations into the Bidens and claims of Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election. This call occurred shortly after Trump had frozen nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine.
Trump has denied any quid pro quo involving the aid, and Zelensky has stated he never felt pressured to pursue an investigation.
According to a person familiar with the events, a secret meeting took place in Kiev in May 2019 between Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, Ukrainian businessman Igor Fruman, and Serhiy Shefir, a member of Zelensky's inner circle. The meeting occurred at an outdoor cafe just days before Zelensky's inauguration on May 20.
During the meeting, the men sipped coffee and spoke in Russian, discussing the investigations that Trump wanted Ukraine to pursue. Parnas's lawyer, Joseph A. Bondy, stated that the message to the Ukrainians was given at the direction of Giuliani, whom Parnas believed was acting under Trump's instruction.
However, Giuliani denied authorizing such a conversation, and a lawyer for Fruman, John M. Dowd, claimed that his client only sought a meeting with Zelensky and did not discuss any terms, including military aid.
Shefir acknowledged meeting with Parnas and Fruman but stated that they did not raise the issue of military aid. He also briefed the incoming president on the meeting, which he had been appointed as chief adviser on the first day of Zelensky's presidency.
