Latest news with #Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine parliament to vote on law to restore powers of anti-corruption bodies
Ukraine's parliament will vote on a new law on Thursday that would restore independence to two anti-corruption bodies, backtracking on a law passed last week that curtailed their powers and led to a political crisis. Last week's legal changes prompted rare wartime street protests against the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and accusations that the presidential office was trying to protect powerful associates from anti-corruption investigations. Thousands of people took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities, while European leaders spoke with Zelenskyy and made it clear that funding for Kyiv could be affected if he was seen to be hampering anti-corruption efforts. Surprised and alarmed by the strength of the reaction, Zelenskyy announced late last week that he had listened to the criticism and would table a new law. A western diplomat based in Kyiv said: 'It seems they really miscalculated, they completely underestimated the strength of the reaction.' On Wednesday evening about 2,000 protesters came out again in rainy conditions to call on parliament to back the new law. The protesters, many of whom were teenagers, held handwritten signs with political jokes and memes. They sang the national anthem and chanted 'Cancel the law!'. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said the government hoped to fix the situation with the new law. 'We anticipate the vote tomorrow. The relevant parliamentary committee has already given its approval. We are getting this fixed,' Sybiha said. The institutions in question are the national anti-corruption bureau, known as Nabu, and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office, Sapo. Both work independently of other law enforcement bodies specifically to target high-level corruption. Oleksandr Klymenko, the head of Sapo, told a small group of journalists in a briefing at his office in Kyiv on Wednesday that his office received a tipoff that measures were being prepared against them two weeks ago, but he had not expected the 'blitzkrieg' assault that followed, with the law being rushed through parliament with little discussion. He said he hoped parliament would now pass the new law and that it would be ratified and enacted immediately. Explaining the hastily passed law last week, Zelenskyy said he feared Nabu and Sapo had been infiltrated by Russian agents, and also said he wanted to ensure closer cooperation between different law enforcement bodies. But this has been brushed off by many Ukrainians as excuses. Klymenko declined to blame Zelenskyy personally for the move against the two institutions but suggested it was 'revenge' for taking on certain sensitive cases, and he defended the track record of the two bodies. 'To say in 2025 that these bodies are ineffective is just absurd. It's a narrative that is being spread to discredit us, we have information that they are looking for information to dump it in the media and just such a narrative that is now being spread in the media in order to somehow discredit us,' he said. Klymenko said Nabu and Sapo had opened investigations into 31 sitting MPs, and that the prospect of being caught meant fewer top officials risked engaging in corrupt activities. 'The main thing about our work is the enormous preventive effect it has,' he said. He said last week's law, as well as the arrest of two Nabu detectives, had left the agencies 'confused and frightened' and could cause 'lasting damage' even if the bill was reversed. Already, he said, government whistleblowers who were in communication with the agencies had gone dark, fearing their identities could be compromised. Several European leaders spoke with Zelenskyy last week about the law, urging him to find a way out of the crisis. 'It was important for him to hear it from his peers,' said the diplomat. European officials have cautiously criticised the bill in public. 'The dismantling of key safeguards protecting [anti-corruption bureau] Nabu's independence is a serious step back,' the European commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, wrote on social media. She added that the two bodies were 'essential' to keep Ukraine on the path to EU accession. A protest is planned for Kyiv on Wednesday evening, with the goal of 'reminding MPs to do the right thing', said Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a former combat medic who was the first to call people to protest last week. 'This is not something I went to war for … and others on the frontline are not there so the government can do crazy stuff like this,' he said, explaining the source of the frustration that led him to demand protests. He said there was no chance of the protest turning revolutionary, with everyone in attendance acutely aware of the dangers of political destabilisation in wartime. He praised the government for being 'ready for dialogue' and backtracking on the moves, and said the protests showed Ukrainian democracy was still strong even though the war had made elections impossible.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine parliament to vote on law to restore powers of anti-corruption bodies
Ukraine's parliament will vote on a new law on Thursday that would restore independence to two anti-corruption bodies, backtracking on a controversial law passed last week that curtailed their powers and led to a political crisis. Last week's legal changes prompted rare wartime street protests against the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and accusations that the presidential office was trying to protect powerful associates from anti-corruption investigations. Thousands of people took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities, while European leaders spoke with Zelenskyy and made it clear that funding for Kyiv could be affected if he was seen to be hampering anti-corruption efforts. Surprised and alarmed by the strength of the reaction, Zelenskyy announced late last week that he had listened to the criticism and would table a new law. 'It seems they really miscalculated, they completely underestimated the strength of the reaction,' said a western diplomat based in Kyiv. The institutions in question are the national anti-corruption bureau, known as Nabu, and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office, Sapo. Both work independently of other law-enforcement bodies specifically to target high-level corruption. Oleksandr Klymenko, the head of Sapo, told a small group of journalists in a briefing at his office in Kyiv on Wednesday that his office received a tipoff that measures were being prepared against them two weeks ago, but had not expected the 'blitzkrieg' assault that followed, with the law being rushed through parliament with little discussion. He said he hoped the parliament would now pass the new law, and that it would be ratified and enacted 'immediately'. Explaining the hastily passed law last week, Zelenskyy said he feared Nabu and Sapo had been infiltrated by Russian agents, and also said he wanted to ensure closer cooperation between different law enforcement bodies, but this has been brushed off by many Ukrainians as excuses. Klymenko declined to blame Zelenskyy personally for the move against the two institutions but suggested it was 'revenge' for taking on certain sensitive cases and defended the track record of the two bodies. 'To say in 2025 that these bodies are ineffective is just absurd. It's a narrative that is being spread to discredit us, we have information that they are looking for information to dump it in the media and just such a narrative that is now being spread in the media in order to somehow discredit us,' he said. Klymenko said Nabu and Sapo currently had open investigations into 31 sitting MPs, and that the prospect of being caught meant fewer top officials risked engaging in corrupt activities. 'The main thing about our work is the enormous preventive effect it has,' he said. He said last week's law, as well as the arrest of two Nabu detectives, had left the agencies 'confused and frightened', and might cause 'lasting damage' even if the bill was reversed. Already, he said, government whistleblowers who were in communication with the agencies had gone dark, fearing their identities could be compromised. Several European leaders spoke last week with Zelenskyy about the law, urging him to find a way out of the crisis. 'It was important for him to hear it from his peers,' said the diplomat. European officials have also cautiously criticised the bill in public. 'The dismantling of key safeguards protecting [anti-corruption bureau] Nabu's independence is a serious step back,' the European commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, wrote on social media. She added that the two bodies were 'essential' to keep Ukraine on the path to EU accession. A new protest is planned for Kyiv on Wednesday evening, with the goal of 'reminding MPs to do the right thing', said Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a former combat medic who was the first to call people to protest last week. 'This is not something I went to war for … and others on the frontline are not there so the government can do crazy stuff like this,' he said, explaining the source of the frustration that led him to demand protests. He added, however, that there was no chance of the protest turning revolutionary, with everyone in attendance acutely aware of the dangers of political destabilisation in wartime. He praised the government for being 'ready for dialogue' and backtracking on the moves, and said the protests showed that Ukrainian democracy was still strong even though the war makes elections impossible.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump cuts deadline for Putin to reach Ukraine peace deal to ‘10 or 12 days'
Donald Trump's timeline for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has sped up, the president said while visiting Nato ally Great Britain on Monday. 'I'm going to make a new deadline of about 10, 10 or 12 days from today,' Trump said in response to a question while sitting with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer. 'There's no reason in waiting. There's no reason in waiting. It's 50 days. I want to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made.' Russian and Ukrainian diplomats met in Istanbul last week, agreeing on little more than a prisoner exchange. Ukraine proposed a summit by the end of August between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but Russia's reply was that such a meeting would only be appropriate if it were to sign an agreement. The meeting was the third negotiation in Istanbul. Putin has not attended any of the talks, despite Trump's exhortations. Trump's comments in recent weeks reflect the continuing change from his almost-conciliatory posture. US diplomats asked China to stop exports of dual-use goods that the Washington says contribute to Russia's military industrial base. Trump said he was 'disappointed' in Putin earlier on Monday. 'We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever. You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say that's not the way to do it. So we'll see what happens with that.' Two weeks ago, Trump promised a punishing round of new sanctions against Russia if Putin did not begin a ceasefire period for negotiations. An agreement for European allies to purchase billions of dollars in additional armaments for Ukraine, including Patriot missile defense systems, accompanied the 15 July statement during a meeting with Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Trump hosted Starmer and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, where ending the war in Ukraine and trade issues have been at the top of the agenda. Before leaving Washington on Friday, Trump said that he was considering secondary sanctions on Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump pushes for peace deal deadline between Ukraine and Russia to ‘10 or 12 days'
Donald Trump's timeline for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has sped up, the president said while visiting Nato ally Great Britain on Monday. 'I'm going to make a new deadline of about 10, 10 or 12 days from today,' Trump said in response to a question while sitting with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer. 'There's no reason in waiting. There's no reason in waiting. It's 50 days. I want to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made.' Russian and Ukrainian diplomats met in Istanbul last week, agreeing on little more than a prisoner exchange. Ukraine proposed a summit by the end of August between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but Russia's reply was that such a meeting would only be appropriate if it were to sign an agreement. The meeting was the third negotiation in Istanbul. Putin has not attended any of the talks, despite Trump's exhortations. Trump's comments in recent weeks reflect the continuing change from his almost-conciliatory posture. US diplomats asked China to stop exports of dual-use goods that the Washington says contribute to Russia's military industrial base. Trump said he was 'disappointed' in Putin earlier on Monday. 'We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever. You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say that's not the way to do it. So we'll see what happens with that.' Two weeks ago, Trump promised a punishing round of new sanctions against Russia if Putin did not begin a ceasefire period for negotiations. An agreement for European allies to purchase billions of dollars in additional armaments for Ukraine, including Patriot missile defense systems, accompanied the 15 July statement during a meeting with Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Trump hosted Starmer and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, where ending the war in Ukraine and trade issues have been at the top of the agenda. Before leaving Washington on Friday, Trump said that he was considering secondary sanctions on Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Zaporizhzhia companies to produce components for mines
Zaporizhzhia Oblast will start large-scale production of components for anti-personnel mines. Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Details: Fedorov noted that the launch of the production became possible after President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on the termination of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines. Quote from Fedorov: "Zaporizhzhia Oblast immediately responds to the initiative – the production of components for anti-personnel mines will be launched in the near future." Details: He noted that the oblast plans to produce tens of thousands of components every month. Quote from Fedorov: "Thanks to the use of modern technologies, we plan to produce anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 components daily. Thus, the monthly production volume will exceed 50,000 components." "All the components will be used to strengthen the Zaporizhzhia front and become part of a powerful mechanism to destroy the occupier." Background: Ukraine has deregulated the explosives market and is preparing to issue grants for powder factories. Ukrainian Defence Industry JSC is gradually moving to the production of 60-mm mortar shells. Ukraine covers 40% of the defence forces' needs thanks to the domestic defence industry and has increased weapons production many times over. Ekonomichna Pravda also wrote that thousands of Ukrainians print spare parts and finished products for the needs of the defence forces on personal 3D printers. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Solve the daily Crossword
