Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published documents on the activities of the consultant
In the run-up to the trial of former Donald Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RF) talks about the effective work of this American political expert and consultant in Ukraine. These facts may come up at the upcoming trial in Washington, despite the fact that the first trial concerns only Mr. Manafort’s financial crimes.
Photo: File Photo, Reuters
On July 31, the trial of Paul Manafort, the former head of Donald Trump’s campaign headquarters, will begin. He is accused of financial crimes, non-compliance with the American law on foreign agents, giving false testimony, hiding information about accounts in foreign banks, etc. (a total of 37 counts) while working for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the Party of Regions. In anticipation of this trial , Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, with its comments, publishes materials transmitted by Mr. Manafort’s lawyers that reveal the circumstances of his activities in Ukraine in the 2000s.
Mr. Manafort, as an experienced American political strategist, was invited to Ukraine in 2005 by oligarchs close to the Party of Regions, reports RFE/RF. They set him the task of rehabilitating Viktor Yanukovych in the eyes of Ukrainians, whose image had suffered significantly after the defeat in the elections .2004, won by Viktor Yushchenko. The Party of Regions consisted of many of the “most influential and wealthy businessmen who were looking for ways to return the party’s candidates to power.” Among them was Rinat Akhmetov, one of the richest people in Ukraine. He introduced Viktor Yanukovych to Paul Manafort. In June 2005, Mr. Manafort wrote a 35-page report to Rinat Akhmetov, criticizing Viktor Yanukovych, analyzing the reasons for his electoral defeat, and laying out a roadmap for winning the next presidential election.
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“The appointment of Yanukovych as the candidate of the previous administration (Leonid Kuchma) poisoned his appeal in the same way that dioxin poisoned Viktor Yushchenko’s body,” Mr. Manafort wrote in the report. According to him, the aversion to power that many Ukrainians experienced during the presidency of Leonid Kuchma contributed to the decline in the popularity of Viktor Yanukovych. “The power of these feelings is extremely great. Therefore, the likelihood that Yanukovych will be able to successfully lead a campaign against the current administration is not only very low, it is not at all. His nomination is likely to be the final nail in the coffin of the party and the coalition he leads,” writes Mr. Manafort, adding that, given his analysis above, “the solution to the problem is clear—Viktor Yanukovych must be replaced.”
However, the American political strategist undertook the allegedly “impossible” work.
In January 2006, Paul Manafort proposed to Viktor Yanukovych and the Party of Regions a plan to win the parliamentary elections, based on promoting the idea of improving good relations with Russia, which was then in the so-called gas war.
“The main emphasis should be placed on the fact that the current government is making wrong decisions that have a detrimental effect not only on the Ukrainian economy, but directly on the interests of the Ukrainian people,” he writes in a memorandum to Messrs. Yanukovych and Akhmetov. “This idea will emphasize the fact that Yanukovych would not have made such colossal mistakes and that he has good relations with Russia to solve the problems created by Yushchenko and his team.”
And when, by 2009, Ukrainians were already tired of Viktor Yushchenko, economic stagnation and corruption, they suddenly saw a real alternative in Viktor Yanukovych, who served as prime minister in 2006-2007. And Mr. Manafort has worked hard to bring to a shine the image of him and the party. At the time, his aides included longtime business partners Rick Gates and Thad Devine, who led the 2016 presidential campaign for Senator Bernie Sanders.
In February 2010, Viktor Yanukovych defeated Yulia Tymoshenko. A jubilant Manafort wrote to his team, “In 35 years of campaigning, this one will be the #1 most satisfying one.” The text of Viktor Yanukovych’s victory speech was compiled by Ted Devine. Manafort’s effective work also affected the 2012 parliamentary elections, where the Party of Regions received a landslide majority.
On April 2, 2012, Rick Gates contacted Tad Devine and two other political strategists, offering to continue the work. “Gentlemen,” he wrote, “I hope you are all right. We have once again come to a point in history when it is necessary to put aside all political work in the United States and work for the benefit of the most beloved country of all – Ukraine. True, Devine refused this time.
According to RFE/RF, Paul Manafort enlisted the help of several influential European politicians to promote the interests of the Ukrainian government in Washington and Brussels.
These people would later become known as the “Habsburg Group”. In February 2013, Mr. Manafort wrote to Viktor Yanukovych that “certain elements of the Habsburg project have proven effective in dealing with the EU.” “The key to success lies in the fact that the project participants are prominent European leaders, whose opinion regarding Ukraine is considered objective. Thanks to this, there was no obvious personal interest behind their statements, which gave them more weight, ”explained the political consultant.
The activities of Mr. Manafort unfolded not only in Europe. “The Habsburg Group will hold a series of events in March-May in Washington to change public rhetoric regarding Ukraine, as well as to influence key members of the American government through private meetings at the highest level,” he wrote, adding that among others there will be meetings with Secretary of State John Kerry and with other administration officials.
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Recall that in February of this year, US Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is investigating interference in the US political system, including the 2016 US presidential election, charged Paul Manafort and his assistant Rick Gates with paying members of the Habsburg Group “for expressing opinions in favor of Ukraine , including for lobbying the United States”, as well as conspiring against the United States for the purpose of fraud, making false statements to the FBI, bank fraud, filing a knowingly false tax return, etc. Mr. Gates has already pleaded guilty , although he stressed that in all cases he acted on the instructions of Mr. Manafort or in collusion with him.
The first trial of Paul Manafort will begin on July 31 and will only concern financial crimes. The second in a row will be an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Manafort’s activities in the Habsburg Group.
Alena Miklashevskaya
Newsessentials Blog 
Posted on February 18, 2022
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