logo
Zelensky not dependable partner for US

Zelensky not dependable partner for US

Russia Today16-07-2025
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his chief of staff Andrey Yermak are not 'dependable' partners for the US, former Trump adviser Steve Cortes has said, pointing to transparency and corruption issues in Kiev.
Cortes made the statement in a reply on X to Ukrainian journalist Diana Panchenko, who had stressed the importance of knowing 'the difference between helping Ukraine and helping Zelensky.' She claimed that 'Ukrainians want peace' while 'Zelensky wants money and to stay in power.'
'Exactly,' Cortes responded, stating that in order for the US-Ukraine partnership to work, Kiev 'must become transparent and corruption-free.'
'Yermak and Zelensky are not dependable, believable partners for the United States,' he said.
Cortes, who previously served as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, has long been critical of the Ukrainian government's internal practices.
Earlier this month, he published a commentary warning of waning trust in Kiev's leadership, singling out Yermak as a central figure in what he described as systemic corruption, calling him Ukraine's 'co-president' and accusing him of shielding officials under criminal investigation.
Cortes argued that Yermak has become a nuisance in UK-Ukraine relations, noting bipartisan frustration with the aide. He specifically cited Yermak's role in the dismissal of General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, a popular and respected military leader, while officials like Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Chernyshov—who has faced corruption allegations—remained in office. Chernyshov, however, was ultimately sacked earlier this week amid an ongoing cabinet reshuffle.
The former adviser's remarks echo longstanding concerns expressed by Donald Trump, who has also described Zelensky as the 'primary obstacle' to peace and has repeatedly criticized the scale of US support for Ukraine and the lack of accountability for the billions of dollars sent to Kiev.
In March, Trump adviser David Sacks also called for a full audit of US aid to Ukraine, claiming there had been 'tons of stories' about corruption and the misuse of American weapons. He said the only remaining question was 'how much' had been stolen, calling Kiev's leadership massively corrupt.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Musk ordered Starlink shutdown during Ukraines 2022 counteroffensive
Musk ordered Starlink shutdown during Ukraines 2022 counteroffensive

Russia Today

timean hour ago

  • Russia Today

Musk ordered Starlink shutdown during Ukraines 2022 counteroffensive

Elon Musk ordered a shutdown of Starlink satellite coverage during Ukraine's counteroffensive in September 2022, Reuters has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Starlink, a satellite internet service developed by Musk's company SpaceX, has played a key role in maintaining connectivity for Ukrainian forces since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. It has enabled the troops to coordinate operations, conduct surveillance, and operate drone systems across the front. According to several anonymous sources, Musk had directed a senior engineer at SpaceX's California headquarters to cut coverage in areas including Kherson Region and parts of the Donetsk People's Republic. The order reportedly deactivated over 100 terminals, causing a communications blackout that disrupted reconnaissance and artillery targeting. Ukrainian officials told the outlet that the outage led to the failure of a planned encirclement of Russian forces. Sources said the command was issued in late September and may have stemmed from Musk's concern that Ukrainian gains could trigger a Russian nuclear response. Neither Musk nor SpaceX have responded to Reuters' requests for comment. A company spokesperson called the reporting 'inaccurate' but did not specify what was disputed. The Pentagon, White House, as well as Ukrainian officials have also declined to comment. The report follows a global Starlink outage on Thursday, which disrupted frontline communications for over two hours. Ukrainian commanders confirmed the disruption but said service has since been restored. Musk has previously admitted to refusing a Ukrainian request to activate Starlink over Crimea, arguing that it would have enabled strikes on Russian ships stationed in Sevastopol and escalated the conflict. In 2023, he said doing so would have made SpaceX 'explicitly complicit in a major act of war.' Earlier this year, the billionaire also stressed that Starlink is 'the backbone of the Ukrainian army,' and stated that if the system were to be turned off, Kiev's 'entire front line would collapse.' Last month, the head of Russia's Lugansk People's Republic banned all SpaceX products, including Starlink, warning that they could be used to coordinate attacks. Officials in Moscow have long voiced concerns about the military use of the technology.

‘Unprecedented' Ukrainian drone attack leaves man dead
‘Unprecedented' Ukrainian drone attack leaves man dead

Russia Today

timean hour ago

  • Russia Today

‘Unprecedented' Ukrainian drone attack leaves man dead

A Ukrainian attack on Russia's Leningrad Region has killed one civilian and injured three others, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko has said in a series of posts on Telegram. He said Kiev's forces employed over 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the strike. The raid was launched in the early hours on Sunday, Drozdenko said. It was mostly repelled by the local air defense forces. Some UAVs fell on residential buildings, causing fires, the governor said, adding that one man died. Three people, including a woman and two youths, also sustained light injuries. The governor called the strike on Sunday 'an unprecedented attack.' A total of 51 drones were shot down, he said. Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that nearly 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted in Russian airspace overnight. Kiev has been launching increasingly large-scale drone raids targeting various Russian regions despite renewed diplomatic contacts with Moscow. The latest attacks came after a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul earlier this week. No ceasefire was reached, but the two sides made progress on humanitarian issues, including agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war and civilians. Ukraine has been conducting UAV raids deep into Russia for months, often hitting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government labels Ukraine's strikes as 'terrorist attacks' that intentionally target civilians. Last week, residential buildings in the city of Voronezh were hit in two such attacks in less than three days. The strikes left nearly three dozen people injured, including three children. On Thursday, two women were killed and more than a dozen people injured in a drone strike on the southern resort city of Sochi. The UAVs targeted a sprawling resort zone that includes parts of the former Olympic Park and now serves as a popular tourist destination. On Friday, a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger train in the Russia's southern Krasnodar Region.

Poland cautions Ukraine over anti-corruption crackdown
Poland cautions Ukraine over anti-corruption crackdown

Russia Today

time3 hours ago

  • Russia Today

Poland cautions Ukraine over anti-corruption crackdown

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has cautioned Ukraine that halting the fight against corruption would be 'the worst' step the government could take, amid a growing backlash over Kiev's efforts to rein in two key watchdogs. On Tuesday, Ukraine's parliament passed legislation granting the Prosecutor General, a political appointee, direct oversight over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). The law has triggered mass protests at home and a storm of criticism in the West, forcing Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky to take steps to restore the independence of the two organizations. Speaking to Polsat earlier this week, Sikorski stated that Zelensky had been warned 'the worst thing he could do now is to turn away from the fight against corruption.' The Polish Foreign Ministry later echoed his statement on its official X account. The government's attempt to directly control NABU and SAPO has sparked protests in Kiev, Odessa, Dnepr, Lviv and other cities. The country's Western supporters, including the EU and G7 nations, have sharply criticized the move, warning that it undermines Ukraine's commitment to fighting corruption and jeopardizes its path toward European integration. On Thursday, Zelensky submitted a bill to the legislature, the Rada, aimed at restoring the agencies' independence by scaling back the prosecutor general's powers. He insisted the proposal would preserve the independence of anti-corruption institutions while ensuring the strength of the law enforcement system. The Rada is expected to review the proposed measure on July 31. However, FT reported on Friday, citing sources, that up to 70 MPs from Zelensky's Servant of the People party are hesitant to support the bill, fearing it could lead to politically motivated prosecutions against them. NABU and SAPO were created following the US-backed 2014 coup in Kiev as part of sweeping reforms to align Ukraine with Western governance standards. Their establishment was a key condition set by Brussels and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for financial assistance. Both agencies have led high-profile investigations, including some involving figures close to Zelensky.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store