Ukrainian Foreign Minister on Lev Parnas: ‘I Don’t Trust Any Word He Is Now Saying’

Appearing Thursday on CNN, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko dismissed Lev Parnas— the indicted Rudy Guiliani associate who claims President Donald Trump personally directed an effort to ask Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden — stating he’s never met him, nor does he trust anything he says.

A transcript is as follows: 

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Lev Parnas, a crony of Rudy Guiliani — who is the president’s personal lawyer — has now spoken out, as you know, and he has said several things. Mostly, [he’s said] that he did carry a very explicit message from the president via Rudy Guiliani that there would need to be a quid pro quo if Ukraine was going to continue to get any kind of assistance. And furthermore, he has now said, that he’s spoken to key officials within President Zelensky’s circle. Since you are one of those — and you were when this happened — did you get that message from Lev Parnas?

VADYM PRYSTAIKO: It’s all in Ukrainian media as well — today and yesterday — and strangely enough, my name was not mentioned, even though I’m the minister of foreign affairs. Frankly, I have not spoken with this individual, and again, frankly, I don’t trust any word he is now saying. The assistance that he’s referring to was reviewed each and every year, annually at least twice, and half of the year and end of the year. so we knew this was going to be reviewed. Some times it would be cut because of some political understanding of what is to be done in Ukraine.