The President of Ukraine is suing the BBC for libel over a news report that claimed he had secretly paid at least £300,000 for a meeting with Donald Trump.

Lawyers for President Petro Poroshenko said the allegation is untrue and “strikes at the core of his personal dignity and integrity”.

The BBC story claimed that intermediaries acting for Mr Poroshenko made a secret payment to Michael Cohen, then Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, to set up talks between the two leaders.

It alleged that, through official channels, Mr Poroshenko had been able to secure only “an embarrassingly brief few minutes of small talk and a handshake” with the US president, and that he wanted more.

The two men met in June 2017 for what Mr Poroshenko later described as a “substantial visit” during which they discussed military cooperation.