Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that if Ukraine was as corrupt as commonly perceived, the country would not receive international aid or be in the process of joining the European Union, according to Ukrinform.
This remark comes as Russian propaganda spreads myths about total corruption in Ukraine and uses the topic of corruption as a weapon in the information war. However, European anti-corruption specialists claim that the corruption problem in Ukraine is greatly exaggerated.
“If we were as corrupt as we are perceived, then we would not be given money and the negotiation process for Ukraine’s accession to the EU would not continue, and the US would not trust Ukrainians,” Kuleba said as per Ukrinform.
Kuleba pointed to praise from the EU and IMF for Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms and efforts to combat corruption as evidence that the perception does not match reality.
While acknowledging that work remains to be done in the fight against corruption, Kuleba stressed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Cabinet, and parliament are consistently combating the issue and achieving “significant results,” Ukrinform reports.
On 14 May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine amid intensified Russian attacks and delayed US aid to Ukraine. During his speech at the meeting with Ukrainian officials, Secretary Blinken stated that corruption must be eradicated to prevent Ukraine from resembling Russia.
Zelenskyy, at this meeting with Blinken, emphasized Ukraine’s urgent need for additional air defense systems, specifically requesting two Patriot missile systems to protect the skies over Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine.
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