Former Giuliani/Trump ally laments 'undermining' Ukraine's government and helping Vladimir Putin

14 February 2023

During the United States' 2020 presidential race, Ukraine-born Lev Parnas was still an ally of then-President Donald Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. But that was before Russian forces, on February 24, 2022, launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These days, Parnas regrets allying himself with Giuliani, Trump and the MAGA movement. And in an article published by Time on February 13, Parnas describes the role he played in Trump and Giuliani’s efforts to "undermine" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I was used by Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in ways that helped pave the way for Putin to invade Ukraine, my native land," the 51-year-old Parnas laments. "If Trump and Giuliani's plans had worked, the Ukrainians might not have had the necessary weapons, medical equipment, and other supplies they needed to fight back."

In 2021 and 2022, Parnas was found guilty on criminal charges that ranged from fraud to illegally funneling non-U.S. money to Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. He was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison but only served four and is now confined at home.

"My connection to Trump came through Giuliani, with whom I had done business, and through the large campaign donations I had made to Trump's campaign," Parnas recalls. "Giuliani, who desperately wanted to be secretary of state, recruited me to help him further Trump's interests overseas. I had no official position, but my primary task was to be their go-between with Ukrainian and Russian oligarchs and government officials. In retrospect, I concluded that my real job was to help undermine and destabilize the Ukrainian government."

Parnas believes that Trump's disdain for Ukraine’s government and affinity for Putin was partly motivated by his animosity for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"Trump and Giuliani argued that Ukraine's leaders were corrupt and anti-American," Parnas explains, "but I believe there were other reasons Trump had it in for them. He viewed them as political enemies who had supported Hillary Clinton in 2016…. Trump acted on his hatred of Ukraine as he tried to improve his reelection chances in 2020. The plan that Giuliani and Trump put into operation was simple: Giuliani sent me to collect compromising information that the Eastern European oligarchs had on Hunter Biden's activities in Ukraine to use against Joe Biden…. Trump didn't care if this made Ukraine vulnerable to Russia."

Although Parnas supported Trump in 2020, he applauds the Biden administration for helping Ukraine militarily in 2022 and 2023.

"Trump weakened Zelensky, but fortunately, Biden won the 2020 election, and Ukraine received a steady supply of weapons," Parnas writes. "Since my arrest, I have done my best to help the people of Ukraine with charitable works, but Giuliani is still peddling his version of events. And even now, Republican politicians are campaigning to stop the pipeline of weapons and medical supplies. They are just trying to please Trump, exactly as Giuliani does. And whether they realize it or not, they are making it easier for Putin and his gang to steal everything they can from Ukraine."

Read Lev Parnas’ full Time article at this link.

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