UPDATE: Poroshenko sues BBC over report he paid $400,000 for Trump meeting

Author : Graham Atkins Solicitor | Published On : 12 Oct 2025

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is taking the BBC to court for libel after the British public broadcaster reported that he made a $400,000 payment to schedule a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

That story is untrue and has left Poroshenko “seriously injured in his reputation” and “caused substantial distress and embarrassment” according to a British High Court claim, signed by Poroshenko’s lawyer, Graham Atkins, and dated September 3, 2018.

In May, the BBC reported that Poroshenko’s intermediaries had made a payment of at least $400,000 to Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, to organize a meeting between the two leaders.

The Ukrainian president reportedly decided to make the unofficial payment after failing to secure anything more than a handshake and few minutes of conversation through official channels.

The two presidents met at the White House in June 2017. During the talks, Poroshenko termed Trump one of Ukraine’s “most reliable supporters” and “strategic partners,” Reuters reported.

Reference Post: https://archive.kyivpost.com/world/poroshenko-sues-bbc-over-report-he-paid-300000-for-trump-meeting.html