Bloomberg cited Veon's November 14 statement as saying that Pompeo would join Kyivstar's board as an independent non-executive director, "to reflect Veon's commitment to Ukraine." Kyivstar is Ukraine's largest mobile operator.
Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state under former President Donald Trump, now works for financial advisory firm Impact Investments. His appointment at Kyivstar comes as Veon is trying to restore what it calls “business rights” in Kyivstar.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Ukraine’s security service said in October that three sanctioned Russian businessmen retained rights to 20 companies that local courts had ordered seized while they faced criminal proceedings. Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman was among those named by Ukraine’s security service.
LetterOne, an investment firm founded by Mr. Fridman, owns about 48% of Veon, a company based in the Netherlands. Mr. Fridman resigned from the boards of both companies after the sanctions were imposed.
Veon has previously said that none of the individuals mentioned in the seizure of Ukrainian companies owned shares in it or its subsidiary Kyivstar. In October, it said that a change in ownership of Kyivstar was currently not allowed.
Mr Pompeo announced in April that he would not run for the White House in next year's election.
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