Larry King got $225,000 to interview Ukraine PM, says politician

Details emerge from ‘black ledger’ detailing alleged secret payments from
former ruling party to US, including to Trump strategist Paul Manafort

Luke Harding
Friday 19 August 2016 15.13 BST

The TV host Larry King accepted $225,000 (£173,000) to interview Ukraine’s pro-Russian prime minister, according to a politician investigating a “black ledger” detailing alleged secret payments to the US from Ukraine’s former ruling party.

King flew to Kiev in November 2011 to interview Ukraine’s then prime minister Mykola Azarov. Azarov was a key figure in the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, whom Ukrainian prosecutors accuse of massive corruption.

Weeks before the interview Yanukovych had jailed his main political opponent Yulia Tymoshenko. After the interview King lavished praise on Azarov, describing him in flattering terms as a “straightforward and honest person with a deep knowledge of world affairs”.

Speaking to journalists in Kiev at the time, King said: “After the interview I told my wife that he (Azarov) would have been a successful US politician. As for who he reminded me, he’s a bit like Jimmy Carter. He looks good, and it’s easy to meet with him.”

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