Ukrainian President Rejects Fugitive Lawmaker's Corruption Accusations, But Shock Waves Extend Abroad
By RFE/RL
More than two years after his election to the Ukrainian parliament on a wave of popular anger over political and economic rot in the corridors of power, Oleksandr Onyshchenko, by his own account, got his hands plenty dirty.
The 47-year-old Onyshchenko insists he was a loyal political lieutenant of President Petro Poroshenko, serving as a middleman for the wartime president's inner circle, smearing a prime minister, and ensuring that bribes were paid in good order.
But it all came crashing down for the former Olympic equestrian-turned-politician in July, when his fellow lawmakers consented to the Ukrainian prosecutor-general's request to strip him of his parliamentary immunity to put him on trial for an alleged massive embezzlement scheme involving a state-owned gas company and millions in kickbacks.
Onyshchenko had fled Ukraine weeks earlier and has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence from abroad.
But his counterpunch at Kyiv landed earlier this month, just as the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) launched a treason case against the fugitive legislator.
Onyshchenko told Current Time TV and other media from his self-exile -- he is reportedly seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom -- that he has damning recordings and digital evidence against Poroshenko.
He added that he has handed materials over to the FBI, which falls under the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Germany Seeks Cooperation From Russia Ahead Of OSCE Meeting
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has demanded that Russia help to defuse tensions in Europe ahead of a gathering of representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Hamburg.
During a "serious" meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on December 7, Steinmeier's office said the German minister asked for more cooperation from Moscow and also demanded an "immediate humanitarian cease-fire" in Syria.
Earlier, Steinmeier had said he expects little progress in the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, however, until U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's stance on the matter is known.
Nearly 50 foreign ministers are due to attend the two-day 23rd OSCE Ministerial Council, which begins on December 8. The crises in Syria and Ukraine are expected to dominate the agenda.
Prior to meeting with Steinmeier, Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in what was likely one of their last of a series of meetings on Syria. Kerry will leave office along with President Barack Obama in January.