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Ukrainian politician to appear in Russian collusion probe in US — media

In May 2017, former FBI Chief Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference

© AP Photo/ Ivan Sekretarev

WASHINGTON, May 15. /TASS/. Ukraine’s former MP Andrii Artemenko stripped of his citizenship in 2017, has been called to testify before a grand jury connected to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign team and Moscow in 2016, the Politico newspaper wrote on Monday.

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"I received the subpoena last week," Artemenko told the newspaper, adding that he intended to comply with the request.

The politician said he could not provide details of his upcoming appearance, which he said is scheduled for Friday. He added though that he assumed he would be asked about the peace plan, about which he communicated with Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, in early 2017.

"Artemenko’s testimony could help Mueller’s team fill in the gaps on the peace plan, which he has been investigating in part because of the roles of Cohen and Sater (Felix Sater, a former business associate of Trump’s), who also worked together to try and launch a Trump-branded development in Moscow starting in early 2015. The plan may also be of interest to Mueller because it reportedly was hatched shortly after Flynn (then-national security adviser) discussed dropping sanctions against Russia in a call with the Russian ambassador that was intercepted by intelligence officials," the newspaper wrote.

The FBI, as well as the intelligence committees of the US Senate and House of Representatives, have been handling the investigation into Russia’s alleged interference into the 2016 US presidential election. In May 2017, the US Department of Justice announced that former FBI Chief Robert Mueller had been appointed as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference.

Trump and key members of his team have been repeatedly rejecting all the accusations concerning collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Moscow has also been refuting these allegations.

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