EU urges Ukraine to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies; Zelenskiy signals swift action
FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy prior to a bilateral meeting in Rome, Italy, April 26, 2025. Andrew Medichini/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
BRUSSELS - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Sunday for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signaling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days.
"Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy.
After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy.
"I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his Sunday call with von der Leyen.
"We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week."
Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership.
"Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added. REUTERS
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide
Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts
Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole
Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt
World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes
Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close
Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE
Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
7 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
France starts airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, World News
PARIS - France on Friday (Aug 1) started to air-drop 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza as it urged Israel to allow full access to the area which it said was slipping into famine. "Faced with the absolute urgency, we have just conducted a food airdrop operation in Gaza. Thank you to our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, and to our military personnel for their commitment," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media platform X. "Airdrops are not enough. Israel must open full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine," he added. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier in the day had told broadcaster franceinfo that France was sending four flights carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid each to Gaza from Jordan. A global hunger monitor said on Tuesday that a famine scenario was unfolding in the Gaza Strip, with malnutrition soaring, children under five dying of hunger-related causes and humanitarian access severely restricted. France participated six times in the European humanitarian airlift set up in mid-October 2023 by the European Union to Jordan and Egypt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, Macron's office said. The European airlift enabled the organisation of more than 60 flights carrying over 3,350 tons of humanitarian cargo, with most of the donations in-kind transiting through Egypt and Jordan, according to Macron's office. Part of this aid has still not entered Gaza due to a lack of agreement from the Israeli authorities, the president's office said. [[nid:720862]]
Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US President Trump reserves harshest tariff rates for Laos, Myanmar and Syria
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump's revised global tariff plan unveiled on Aug 1 hit Laos and Myanmar hard with a 40 per cent import duty – the second-highest rate in the world behind only Syria at 41 per cent. The White House has not explained its rationale, and US trade with all three is small compared with its other partners. Myanmar remains under US sanctions following its 2021 coup, and Laos has drawn US scrutiny for deepening ties with China. Syria, meanwhile, had been penalised for human rights abuses under former President Bashar Al-Assad, but the US has sought to ease those restrictions since his overthrow last year. In Myanmar's case, trade with the US totalled US$734 million (S$947 million) last year – yet the penalty will deepen an economic collapse that began when Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a coup more than four years ago. Washington has imposed sanctions for what it sees as the junta's use of violence against civilians and suppression of democracy activists. The tariff announcement came just a day after Myanmar's junta lifted emergency rule, paving the way for elections later this year. The US and other governments have criticised the vote as being neither free nor fair. Myanmar's junta chief praised Mr Trump in a rare letter last month and compared his military's coup to the US president's baseless claims of election fraud, suggesting both leaders were victims of rigged votes. Mr Min Aung Hlaing also requested a reduced tariff rate and offered to send a high-level trade delegation to Washington. Deputy Commerce Minister Min Min said by phone the government was unaware of the development and declined to comment. As for Laos, US exports to the South-east Asian nation totalled US$40.4 million last year, while imports reached US$803.3 million. The US has raised concern over its economic dependence on China and mounting debt tied to Chinese infrastructure projects. Mr Trump recently signed an executive order easing sanctions on Syria to help rebuild the war-torn country and support its new government. Observers say there may be a simple reason for the high levies. 'Rather than pick on these three nations, I suspect limited bandwidth in DC led officials to focus on bigger fry,' said Simon Evenett, founder of the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity Through Trade, a group based in Switzerland that tracks trade policies. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Peruvian informal miners suspend talks with government due to disagreements in negotiations
FILE PHOTO: Informal artisanal miners protest outside the Congress to pressure the Peruvian government to extend the deadline to formalize informal mining operations, in Lima, Peru July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Gerardo Marin/File Photo LIMA - Informal miners in Peru suspended talks with the government and may resume protests due to disagreements in negotiations, one of the protest leaders said on Friday. CONFEMIN union leader, Maximo Franco Bequer, told reporters the government refused to alter an August 17 deadline for miners to move explosives into formal "powder magazines." He said 20,000 miners who cannot meet the deadline would be excluded from a government program to formalize their work. The miners, located in the Cusco region, had suspended their two-week-long protest on July 15 that had blocked a major copper transit route used by mining firms MMG, Glencore and Hudbay. Informal miners in Peru operate with temporary permits under a program created over a decade ago that the government has been trying to end. The miners say the stricter regulations to formalize their work and operate legally are too onerous and would likely leave them without employment. The union expects to meet in the coming hours to decide on new protests. REUTERS
