US probe into Ukraine 'lobbying' by former EU officials

Speculation is rising some former EU officials were paid a total of €2 million to lobby a Russian-backed government in Ukraine by Donald Trump's disgraced campaign chief Paul Manafort.

The allegations were brought forward on Friday (24 February) in an indictment by US prosecutors probing Trump's entourage following accusations of Russian meddling in the US presidential race.

The indictment says Manafort "secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favourable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States".