Trump's former protégé registers as lobbyist for Ukraine

This was reported by Politico on Wednesday, Ukrinform saw.

“I’ve not been hired by Ukraine. I’m not being paid by Ukraine. There’s no money involved. I’m simply helping Ukraine advocate for their interests with people I know in Congress and elsewhere,” the former ambassador told the publication.

Sondland also confirmed he was working with the EU and European Central Bank on getting more aid for Ukraine.

“I registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) because if you don't, it will catch up with you. I want to be able to make a strong case that we need to support Ukraine, and I don't want to be accused of violating FARA when I do that," he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Gordon Sondland, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the EU in 2019, participated in coordinating the efforts of the Trump administration in the Ukrainian direction. During the impeachment process in the House of Representatives, which probed the reasons why Trump blocked U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, Sondland gave a number of key testimonies. In particular, he confirmed Trump's pressure on Ukrainian leaders to investigate corruption in their country, as well as obtain incriminating material on Joe Biden, who was Trump's opponent in the 2020 election.

Sondland's testimony ultimately helped form the basis for the House inquiry and the subsequent first impeachment case targeting Donald Trump.

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