Corruption in Ukraine made the European Union think of getting a guarantee from Kyiv

According to Isna, the European Union is seeking assurances from Kiev on future financial support to the country after a massive corruption investigation uncovered a $100 million bribery scheme related to Ukraine’s energy sector.

Politico magazine wrote about this: Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities revealed this week that some close associates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were apparently involved in this conspiracy. This led the Ukrainian president to impose sanctions on his former trading partner and dismiss several senior ministers.

This event has created a rift among Kiev’s European partners. From the point of view of many, these revelations are a positive sign of the continued independence of the anti-corruption regulatory bodies of Ukraine. However, some others want specific commitments from this country to show that Ukraine is serious about preventing similar incidents from happening in the future.

An EU official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Politico that the “rampant corruption” uncovered in the investigation was “disgusting” and would not help the country’s reputation with international partners.

He argued that this issue “means that the European Commission should definitely review the way the budget is spent in Kyiv’s energy sector, and Ukraine should pay more attention and transparency in how the money is spent.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Mertes said on Thursday after a phone call with Zelensky: “We expect Ukraine to continue to vigorously advance anti-corruption measures and reforms in the country.”

An EU government official said: “The president (Zelensky) needs to reassure everyone – most likely by presenting a plan to fight corruption.”

The American media wrote: This scandal happened at a critical time for Ukraine; The country faces a budget deficit of 41 billion euros next year, while EU member states are currently deadlocked over releasing a 140 billion-euro compensation loan to Kiev from frozen Russian assets.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry and energy ministry did not respond to Politico’s request for comment. But Zelensky said on Wednesday that “there must be maximum honesty in the energy sector in all processes.”

He added: “I support any investigation by law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities.”

Ukraine’s defenders are concerned about its opponents using the results of corruption investigations

This article continued: This scandal, which is the worst scandal since Zelensky came to power in 2019, has not yet prompted Kiev’s allies to threaten to cut off aid to Ukraine.

The European Union confirmed on Thursday that it will allocate 6 billion euros in new aid to Ukraine. Last week, Estonia officially approved 150,000 euros of additional aid for the energy sector of Kyiv, and it is said that Germany is also considering adding 3 billion euros to the amount of aid to this country next year.

“It is painful to see the impact of corruption on the energy sector, especially as winter approaches and Russia’s brutal attacks on energy infrastructure continue,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaichiunas told Politico. However, we firmly stand by the people of Ukraine; Our support will not stop.

It went on to say: Behind closed doors, European supporters of Ukraine worry that talking too much about the issue will fuel opposition narratives aimed at discrediting Kyiv and undermining its efforts to join the bloc.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a frequent critic of Ukraine, said in a message on social media on Thursday: “A wartime mafia network with numerous ties to President Zelensky has been exposed. This is the chaos that Brussels elites want to pour European taxpayers’ money into.

An EU diplomat said: “By highlighting corruption scandals, they are only fanning the flames of those like Hungary who say Ukraine is a corrupt country.”

Another diplomat also said: Those who are against Ukraine will use this issue.

“The taboo of not publicly criticizing Ukraine will be maintained,” said a former senior Ukrainian official, saying he expected Brussels to insist on making some aid conditional on reforms.

Ukraine’s defenders say the investigation is limited to one company and argue that international backers should not punish the entire energy sector as a result, but some allies still call for more reforms.

The investigation focused mainly on Energotom – Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company – and accused seven officials of manipulating contracts to receive bribes worth 10 to 15 percent of the contract amount.

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