Zelensky backtracks on corruption reform in attempt to end protests

Yahoo

6 days ago

Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared to backtrack on his controversial corruption reform in an attempt to end protests in Ukraine.
The president said he had 'heard what people are saying' and decided to propose a new bill in parliament in two weeks' time.
'Very importantly, all norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be included,' he said.
Despite the apparent climbdown, thousands still descended onto the streets of Kyiv for a large-scale protest on Wednesday night shortly after the president made the statement.
Some protesters said they did not believe the president's attempt to address criticism of the reform went far enough.
Olena, 19, a student from Sumy, told The Telegraph she was demonstrating because 'I want in my country not corruption, not usurpation of the government'.
She said she wanted Ukraine to embrace 'European values' adding that Ukraine's corruption watchdogs should be independent.
Mr Zelensky has faced unprecedented pushback from the public, serving soldiers and Ukraine's western partners over his move on Tuesday to strip the country's two key anti-corruption agencies of their autonomy.
AntAC, an anti-corruption NGO, said it remained to be seen how far the president would go in restoring the free operation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sapo).
Tetiana Shevchuk, the head of international relations at AntAC, said: 'We haven't seen the text of this new bill. And two weeks is a long time.
'If parliament was able to adopt the law in 24 hours, they should be able to rectify their mistake in the same time frame.
'I'm happy that Zelensky has the wisdom not to escalate with the public, but we will have to see if it is done properly.'
The law, passed on Tuesday, handed control of the agencies over to the prosecutor general, a position directly appointed by the president.
The bill raised fears that Mr Zelensky could prevent the bodies pursuing cases against his close allies, such as Oleksiy Chernyshov, the former deputy prime minister, who was recently charged with accepting bribes.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, 'conveyed her strong concerns' over the law, her spokesman said.
Brussels chiefs warned Mr Zelensky's original legislation endangered both supplies of aid and Ukraine's eventual entry into the European Union.
Europe has become Ukraine's most influential partner, filling the gulf left by the almost complete cessation of US supplies of money and weaponry since the start of the year.
Protesters took to the streets across the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv and Odesa on Tuesday night, and further demonstrations were due to be held on Wednesday.
Credit: Igor Zakharenko
The armed forces also spoke out against the measures, accusing the president of undermining morale at the front and handing a victory to Russia.
Vitalii Umanets, one Ukrainian soldier, said: 'Whoever isn't in the military, please go out to the protest for me, because without independent anti-corruption bodies, there's no point at all in our current struggle, in our future victory.
Mykhailo Lavrovskyi, a soldier in the 1st Azov Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard, wrote on X: 'You can argue for a long time about the effectiveness of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine, but pulling off such bulls--- while fully aware that people will be against it is a deliberate provocation playing into Moscow's hands.'
One Ukrainian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph that the reform was 'definitely going to impact the morale of the soldiers, even simply by diverting attention from the fight'.
In ambiguous comments that could have been directed at the president's office or the protesters, Ukraine's spy chief warned that the country could be 'torn apart' by the crisis and called for 'open dialogue'.
Kyrylo Budanov said: 'Ukrainian history has taught us that a nation loses if it is torn apart by internal contradictions.'
Credit:Bohdan Ben
Opponents characterised the original legislation as a power-grab by an increasingly authoritarian leader, panicked by the launch of investigations into his own inner circle.
Mr Zelensky had attempted to justify the law, on Wednesday morning, saying he had met with the Nabu and Sapo leaders and agreed to produce a joint action plan in two weeks to ensure the country had a 'strong enough… anti-corruption system'.
'In our opinion, Zelensky acted [at first] because anti-corruption agencies got closer to his close allies,' Ms Shevchuk said.
'Zelensky is not against the fight against corruption, but it's not comfortable when it strikes so close… he feels it's going out of control.'
Mr Chernyshov was charged, along with his associates, of accepting bribes to give the go-ahead to an apartment block development. The charges, which he denied before being sacked in a reshuffle, allege that he accepted an apartment in exchange for the approval.
'This is the first big political protest in three and a half years, which is a lot,' Ms Shevchuk said. 'We don't like the pictures in foreign media, because we understand the war is going on.'
But corruption in defence procurement, for example, posed 'sometimes even a greater risk' to Ukraine than the fluctuating level of Western support.
'The resolution is very simple,' Ms Shevchuk added. 'Scrap the law and say this was a mistake. Otherwise it looks like a high-level attempt to protect corruption.'
On Wednesday night, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for the third round of peace talks, with both sides expressing some openness to further dialogue.
A Ukrainian spokesman emphasised that securing a meeting between Mr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin remained a top priority, saying that big issues like a ceasefire can only be resolved at the highest level.
Ukraine offered face-to-face talks between the two leaders before the end of August, which it said would suit the deadline Donald Trump gave Putin this month to end the war within 50 days or face 'very severe tariffs'.
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