But congressional investigators want to know what political factors, if any, influenced Mr. Trump’s actions. Mr. Poroshenko then turned to the important business: asking Mr. Trump to appoint a special envoy for settlement talks with Russia. Mr. Poroshenko knew he faced an uphill struggle to win Mr. Trump’s favor. Mr. Trump’s allies saw Mr. Poroshenko and his embattled country as hostile to a Trump presidency. Fearing recriminations, allies of Mr. Poroshenko nonetheless reached out to Mr. Manafort to try to convince the Trump team of Ukraine’s determination to work closely with the new administration, Mr. Manafort told associates.

Source: New York Times November 04, 2019 08:02 UTC