乌克兰愤怒地否认英国广播公司BBC一篇有关乌克兰为了安排一次川普总统和乌克兰总统波罗申科的会见而向川普总统的律师科恩支付了40万美元的报道。
波罗申科总统办公室称这篇报道为“弥天大谎、诽谤、不实之词”。乌克兰总检察长卢森科对美国之音说，他“十分遗憾”地得知，就连“最知名的西方媒体也不遵循平衡报道的原则，也不试图了解消息的另一面”。
英国广播公司的报道说，波罗申科2017年想与川普总统会面。他想打开一个接触川普总统的后门，因为华盛顿为乌克兰游说的人士只能安排一次简短握手与合影的机会。报道说，波罗申科想要的更多，想要一个能够被视为与美国总统正式会谈的机会。
英国广播公司说，波罗申科的两个中间人为了安排这样的会见向科恩支付了至少40万美元，甚至可能高达60万美元。
没有任何迹象显示川普总统知晓这次付款。
白宫没有就英国广播公司的这篇报道发表评论。科恩和两个乌克兰的中间人都表示否认。
Ukraine is bitterly denying a BBC report that it paid Donald Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, $400,000 to set up a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Poroshenko’s office calls the story a “blatant lie, slander and fake.” Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko tells VOA he is “very sorry” to hear that even “the most notable Western media outlets don’t abide by the principle of balanced reporting and don’t attempt to get the other side of the story.”
According to the BBC, Poroshenko desired to meet with Trump in 2017. He wanted to open a so-called back channel to Trump because Ukrainian lobbyists in Washington could only arrange a brief photo opportunity and handshake. Poroshenko wanted much more and something that could be portrayed as full talks with the U.S. president.
The BBC said two Poroshenko intermediaries paid Cohen at least $400,000 and as much as $600,000 to set up the meeting.
There is no indication Trump knew about the payment.
There has been no comment from the White House on the BBC report. Cohen and the two Ukrainian intermediaries have denied it.