NZZ: Zelensky believes that the EU will continue funding despite corruption.
“Elchi” reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes the European Union will continue to provide funding despite recent corruption scandals. This was reported by the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” newspaper, citing Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center in Ukraine.
“I am afraid that this is exactly what Zelensky thinks. As a result, the money will come anyway, and we will still be accepted into the EU. So, there is no need to change anything,” said Kaleniuk.
She believes Zelensky is mistaken. The EU will not support Ukraine’s European integration unless it meets the criteria of a rule-of-law state. According to Kaleniuk, the Ukrainian president himself is not interested in reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law. On May 11, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) accused Yermak of laundering 460 million hryvnias (approximately $10.5 million) during the construction of an elite cottage community in the Kyiv region. Investigators emphasized that after the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the construction of the cottages not only continued but even intensified.
On May 14, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine sentenced Yermak to 60 days in prison with the possibility of release on bail of approximately $3.1 million. The former official stated that he does not have such funds.
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