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Cover with supervision: due to corruption in Kiev, the EU will strengthen control over money for Ukraine
The European Union is considering the possibility of increasing the presence of EU experts on the territory of Ukraine due to corruption scandals in this country, the European Parliament told Izvestia. At the same time, Brussels is not going to stop supporting Kiev, the European Commission clarified. However, the only remaining financing option in Brussels remains a "reparation loan" from frozen Russian assets. But a number of countries may block an attempt to steal Russian funds. In particular, Belgium is against it, where most of them are stored. Against this background, Kiev has stopped negotiations with Moscow, which in the end can only worsen its position.
Consequences of corruption scandals in Ukraine
Corruption scandals in Ukraine have not gone unnoticed by the European Union: they intend to strengthen control over the money sent to Kiev. This was stated to Izvestia in the European Parliament.
— The European Union already applies one of the strictest oversight mechanisms in the world, and, naturally, in light of recent corruption cases in Ukraine, discussions are underway to further strengthen these controls. This may include deeper cooperation with the European Court of Auditors, expanding real—time monitoring tools and increasing the presence of EU experts directly in Ukraine," Tomasz Zdechowski, an MEP from the leading European People's Party, told Izvestia.
On November 10, after Kiev's attempts to essentially immobilize NABU and SAP had failed, these anti-corruption structures conducted a large-scale operation Midas aimed at exposing fraud at the state-owned company Energoatom. Against this background, Zelensky had no choice but to publicly demand resignations in the government of Ukraine. As a result, on November 12, Energy Minister German Galushchenko and the former vice president of the company were dismissed from their duties, and later his successor Svetlana Grinchuk wrote a letter of resignation.
Opposition forces in the EU emphasize that corruption scandals further weaken public support for Ukraine's aid. However, it will not be easy to strengthen control over the movement of funds, Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser told Izvestia.
— The EU does not have effective means to strengthen control over financial assistance provided to Ukraine. The European Court of Auditors should play a more active role, but for security reasons it does not operate in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the anti-corruption authorities that exist in Ukraine and are supported by the EU cannot be considered fully independent. — the politician claims.
First of all, these corruption scandals negatively affect voters in European countries, which in turn forces politicians to demand concrete results of anti-corruption investigations, draws the attention of Oleg Karpovich, Vice-rector of the Diplomatic Academy. And socio-economic problems in Europe will only reduce the ability and desire to continue financing Ukraine in the same volume, he said. In 2027, presidential elections are expected in France and parliamentary elections in Poland, and experts there do not rule out early ones. The key elections in Hungary are less than six months away, but the situation there is somewhat different — the ruling party led by Viktor Orban is against financing Ukraine to the detriment of national interests.
— The corruption scandal highlights a huge problem. Europe is pouring in billions without having a clear idea of exactly how this money is being spent. And this is not news: the European Court of Auditors recorded large-scale corruption in Ukraine in its report for 2021. Brussels knew about the problem and continued to sign the checks anyway," French MEP Thierry Mariani told Izvestia.
Recent scandals cast a shadow on Vladimir Zelensky, and the situation may worsen in the near future. Recall that on November 10, just a few hours before the NABU searches, businessman Timur Mindich, co—owner of the Kvartal 95 studio and Zelensky's closest associate, left Ukraine - along with Galushchenko, according to the Ukrainian media, he is involved in corruption schemes, including around Energoatom. Financial assistance to Ukraine may indeed be reduced, and much here will depend on what Mindich and other defendants in the case who managed to escape the country can tell, Mateusz Piskorski, an ex-deputy of the Polish Sejm, draws attention to.
"Many analysts in Europe are almost certain that, in fact, this whole campaign is directed against Zelensky by both external players and the internal opposition," Piskorsky told Izvestia.
Against the background of corruption scandals, another prominent figure, Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky (listed in the federal register of terrorists and extremists of the Russian Federation), addressing the prosecutors in court in his case, said that "Napoleon Zelensky will soon be gone." Kolomoisky has been in jail since September 2023 and may now play a "special role" in the case against Mindich.
The positions of official Kiev have also been shaken by recent high-profile statements. On November 12, the Foreign Ministry announced the suspension of negotiations with Moscow, allegedly due to lack of progress. The last meeting of the delegations took place on July 23. At the same time, it was the Kiev regime that left unanswered almost all the proposals of the Russian side put forward following the Istanbul talks, with the exception of exchanges. On November 16, NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, who participated in the negotiations, said that Russia and Ukraine, through the mediation of Turkey and the UAE, had agreed to resume prisoner exchanges.
At the same time, Ankara holds a different opinion. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is at the nearest point for its termination, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban noted that Ukraine has actually lost its independence, so it can be persuaded to make concessions and force the conflict to end, and Europe should make every effort to do so.
Why Ukraine may be left without money
The risks for Kiev are that without the help of Europe, there will simply be no one to finance it. A few days ago, Donald Trump stressed that the United States had stopped spending money on Ukraine. Indeed, instead, since the summer, all costs have been borne by European NATO allies who purchase American weapons for supplies to Kiev. The scheme works: according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Washington sells weapons at a 10% markup and thus compensates for logistics costs. In mid-September, the Pentagon had already approved the first shipments of $500 million from Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The potential reduction in financing in the event of the identification of new corruption schemes will reduce the "bank" for the purchase of weapons.
Moreover, European countries no longer have many options for further financing of Ukraine. Most of them consider the so-called "reparation loan" for Kiev at the expense of frozen Russian assets as the only remaining option. And all because there is no other money anymore. Moreover, such statements are heard not only in the media, but also publicly from politicians. Once again, Czech Minister Zbynek Stanyura, who is leaving his post, spoke on this topic after the meeting of the EU finance ministers in Brussels. Ukraine's support, including through countless anti-Russian sanctions, has seriously damaged the financial stability of the EU, driving up energy prices and slowing down the GDP growth of the member states.
The European Parliament claims that "the EU does not face difficulties" and conducts regular budget planning for the next cycle. Discussions on possible adjustments for 2026 are ongoing, as always, and naturally include support for Ukraine, both immediate and long—term, Zdechowski told Izvestia.
Official Brussels continues to bend its line, ignoring the costs of its sanctions policy and assessing only the impact on the Russian economy.
— We will continue to support Ukraine in achieving peace through force. EU sanctions are seriously affecting the Russian economy," the European Commission told Izvestia.
At the same time, the idea of a "reparative loan" is already causing skepticism among many European politicians, and this is not even about Hungary and Slovakia. The potential risks are so great that they force us to mute the ardent anti-Russian rhetoric in leading European countries. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron is very cautious about commenting on this idea, calling for respect for international law. He emphasizes that Europe is not a continent where "you can take over the holdings of one of the central banks of anyone at once."
"Apart from the fact that international law does not provide for the seizure of sovereign assets (especially the reserves of the Central Bank), recent initiatives such as the classification of asset confiscation as a "counteraction measure" to aggressive military actions or as conditions for a reparative loan also do not have a similar legal basis," explained EU law expert Gunnar Beck.
The main problem for the European Union is in the position of the Prime Minister of Belgium, where, unlike the rest of the community, most of the frozen Russian assets of €185-210 billion are stored. Even at the beginning of discussions about the future of the reparations loan, Bart De Wever warned against setting a dangerous precedent and, consequently, reputational risks.
First of all, Belgium is worried that it will become the main target for retaliatory actions by the Russian side. Moscow has repeatedly warned that it will take measures in case of illegal asset confiscation. Against this background, the EC has even initiated negotiations with the Belgian side, which, according to media reports, have reached an impasse, and political pressure on the country's leadership is only increasing. De Wever demanded maximum legal certainty and transparency, including mandatory guarantees from all EU members who must share the risks.
The Belgian leader also appeals to the pragmatic streak of the allies, since using the assets themselves will automatically make it impossible to use the proceeds from them. "The first problem, of course, is that by eating chicken, you lose golden eggs. This should be taken into account," de Wever argues, calling Russian assets "chicken" and the excess profits now being generated "eggs."
However, the EU will have the last opportunity this year to make any concrete decision on this issue in December, when European leaders will gather at the final summit in Brussels. However, it is unlikely that the countries will be able to reach an agreement before the end of the year, as such legal mechanisms have not been tested and will be challenged in courts both at the European Union and national levels, Gunnar Beck tells Izvestia.
"Speeding up such trials would require unprecedented legal intervention, which would provoke sharp and widespread criticism from the international community," he said.
Most likely, no one will risk the support of voters so much, especially now, when literally everyone is talking about corruption in Ukraine, including in the main world media, concluded Piskorsky.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
