Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has commented for the first time on the unusual protests that began in Ukraine yesterday evening.
Zelensky quickly promised a new plan to fight corruption, 24 hours after he limited the autonomy of two agencies fighting it, drawing criticism from the EU and sparking the first street protests since the outbreak of the war in 2022.
Fighting endemic corruption is a condition for Kiev's accession to the European Union, as well as securing billions of dollars in Western aid, and Zelensky signed a law late last night that restricts the work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
Opposition lawmakers and the EU, who called the decision a " serious step backwards " and expressed " deep concern ," called on Zelensky to withdraw the controversial law.
The amendments passed on Tuesday give the Prosecutor General, who is appointed by the president, tighter control over both agencies. On Monday, Kiev's internal security agency arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of ties to Russia and conducted extensive searches of agency employees for other reasons.
After criticism, especially from the EU, Zelensky said today that NABU and SAPO will continue to operate, " but without any Russian influence ." "Everything must be cleaned up," Zelensky said.
This morning, he met with agency leaders and said he would present a new plan to fight corruption within two weeks. After meeting with Zelensky, both agencies demanded the immediate restoration of the independence of anti-corruption bodies.
"Clear and irrefutable steps are needed at the legislative level that will restore the guarantees that Parliament has abolished," said a joint statement by NABU and SAPO published on Telegram.
"We hear what society is saying. We have a common enemy, the Russian invaders, and the Ukrainian state needs law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies to have sufficient strength and, consequently, a real sense of justice," Zelensky said.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos wrote on the social network 'X' that she was "seriously concerned" by Tuesday's vote and the adoption of controversial amendments.
"The repeal of key measures protecting NABU's independence is a serious step backwards," she said, recalling that the rule of law is at the "heart" of accession negotiations with the Union.
NABU and SAPO were established after the Maidan revolution in 2014, which ousted the pro-Russian president and led Kiev to turn to the West. Both agencies escalated their work during the war, bringing charges against deputies, ministers and former deputy head of the administration of Zelensky. (A2 Televizion)
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