A Ukrainian lawmaker is being investigated for treason after he said he secretly met with President Trump's lawyer about a plan to give Russia official control of Crimea.
Andrii Artemenko told CNN that Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen pushed for a plan to let Russia lease Crimea from Ukraine, which goes against both the U.S. and Ukraine's stated diplomatic position.
Any Russia-friendly plan that lets the country officially gain rights to Crimea could become a big issue among NATO members.
Russia took control of the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, but there's still a dispute over which country technically owns the area.
Artemenko said he gave Cohen the proposal in an envelope to deliver to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn resigned from the post after reports said he discussed sanctions on Russia with Russian officials before Trump took office.
Cohen confirmed that he met with Artemenko but said he never discussed Russia. He told CNN, "If this continued fake news narrative wasn't so ridiculous, I would be angered."
The White House also denied any knowledge of the proposal.
The new allegation adds another strand to the messy web of entanglements Trump and his team have been accused of having with Russia. Several of Trump's campaign staffers resigned over their ties to Russia.
