Reading Timothy Snyder's interesting review of the Ukraine-Russia struggle in the New York Review of Books, I see this:  "On February 22, Yanukovych [then president of Ukraine] fled to Russia. (Two years later, his political strategist, Paul Manafort, would resurface in the US, playing the same role for Donald Trump.)"

Wikipedia adds this to the story: "[Manafort] is also known for his successful efforts lobbying on behalf of Ferdinand Marcos, Jonas Savimbi, Viktor Yanukovych and other foreign leaders, which led his firm to be listed amongst the top five lobbying on behalf of human-rights abusers."

Oh well, a guy has got to make a buck where he can. As Steven Lee Myers points out in his biography of Putin, The New Tsar, Henry Kissinger went to Russia to consult with Putin. Somebody has to keep these guys in power. And presumably Manafort will introduce President Trump to a whole range of leaders that might otherwise be persona non grata at the State Department.