Viktor Vekselberg reportedly discussed US-Russian relations with Trump’s legal fixer and arranged to meet again at the inaugurationA Russian oligarch with links to the Kremlin met Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen at Trump Tower in New York City less than two weeks before Trump’s inauguration as president, a source familiar with the meeting said on Friday. During a discussion in Cohen’s office, located on the skyscraper’s 26th floor 11 days before the inauguration, Cohen and Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg talked about improving relations between Moscow and Washington and arranged to meet again at the inauguration, the New York Times first reported. The source, who asked for anonymity as private conversations were being discussed, confirmed the New York Times’ account to Reuters by telephone. Federal prosecutors at the US attorney’s office in Manhattan are, meanwhile, conducting a separate investigation into financial and business dealings by Cohen. Intrater told the New York Times that Vekselberg, his cousin and biggest client, did not instruct Columbus Nova to hire Cohen as a consultant.

Source: The Guardian May 25, 2018 17:28 UTC