Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that from the first years of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's presidency, he warned him: any signs of corruption in Ukraine would be used by Russia against Kyiv on the international stage. This is stated in the Polsat News material, writes UNN.
Details
During the press conference, Donald Tusk emphasized that reports of corruption at the top of the Ukrainian government immediately become a tool of Russian propaganda. He confirmed that he personally warned Zelenskyy.
I warned President Zelenskyy... that one of the key narratives of Russian and pro-Russian parties in Europe is the narrative that independent Ukraine is a corrupt Ukraine.
He emphasized that the Kremlin traditionally uses the argument that Ukraine is a country that should not be taken seriously.
For Russians, this has always been a very strong argument: "What kind of country is this? Don't take them seriously... they are the most corrupt country."
According to him, such sentiments even began to appear in Europe, so he warned Zelenskyy to be vigilant about any manifestations of corruption in his entourage.
Commenting on NABU's exposure of a large-scale scheme in the energy sector, Tusk called the attempt to weaken the bureau a "mistake," but noted that the Ukrainian authorities "backed down" and demonstrated their readiness to prosecute the perpetrators. Law enforcement officers are conducting a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
Addressing Ukrainian officials, Tusk concluded: "Beware of corruption, beware of the Russian model, because you will lose the war if you tolerate such events."
Recall
The NABU corruption investigation concerns a scheme in "Energoatom," where, according to the investigation, about $100 million in bribes could have passed through a "back office" in Kyiv. Five people have been detained, seven have been charged; businessman Timur Mindich is involved in the case. Amid the scandal, Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk and Minister of Justice Herman Halushchenko resigned.