EU state says ‘huge amount' of Ukraine aid ‘lost'
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused Ukraine of misappropriating a large part of financial aid provided by the European Union, pledging to raise the issue at a European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Kiev has received billions from the EU and the US since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Several high-profile corruption cases have shaken the Ukrainian government over the past three years, and various reports have claimed that Ukrainian arms traffickers steal Western-provided weapons and sell them on the black market.
'We will reopen the issue of corruption in Ukraine in the European Council… the EU is pouring money in, and a huge part of it is simply being lost in Ukraine,' Fico said on Thursday, ahead of a special summit in Brussels centred on continued military aid for Ukraine and the bloc's defense.
Last year, Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th among 180 nations on its corruption perception index. Kiev claims that it has made great strides in tackling the problem.
Earlier this week, Elon Musk, a top ally of US President Donald Trump, backed suggestions circulating on social media that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky could be investigated for corruption after the conflict ends.
Over the past few months, Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kiev has not received even half of the money officially allocated by the US for weapons.
In 2024, a report by the US Defense Department's Office of Inspector General revealed that the Pentagon was unable to fully account for over $1 billion worth of military aid to Kiev.
There have also been instances where Ukrainian officials were implicated in misappropriating EU aid. In 2023, several major corruption schemes were uncovered involving military procurement.
The EU is currently exploring alternatives to continue backing Ukraine militarily, despite the peace process recently initiated by the US and Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled the 'ReArm Europe' initiative, an €800 billion ($866 billion) plan aimed at bolstering the EU's defense capabilities.
Since being elected, President Trump has reversed Washington's policy on the Ukraine conflict, halting military aid and intelligence-sharing with Kiev, in order to pressure Zelensky to engage in the peace process.
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