BERLIN, January 25. /TASS/. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been criticized by lawmaker Fabio De Masi for not discussing the corruption scandal in Ukraine personally with Vladimir Zelensky, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported.
"Mrs. von der Leyen refrained from personally addressing <...> Zelensky about corruption in his inner circle. It is impossible to explain to the public why we are transferring billions to Ukraine while oligarchs from Zelensky's inner circle are covering their toilets in gold and embezzling money allocated for energy supplies," the lawmaker noted.
In response to the newspaper's request, the European Commission stated that it is monitoring the corruption scandal in Ukraine. "The Commission is closely monitoring the latest developments related to allegations of corruption in Ukraine's energy and defense sectors. Such cases demonstrate that Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies are doing their job and making progress in their investigations," the agency told Berliner Zeitung.
Even Kiev's Western partners have repeatedly spoken out about the high level of corruption in Ukraine, demanding real action to combat corruption and increase transparency in spending allocated funds. However, according to local analysts, the authorities' actions are merely symbolic gestures that mask the redistribution of spheres of influence and cash flows. Numerous journalistic investigations into corruption in the procurement, development, and production of domestic weapons have shown that Zelensky's inner circle and his office are involved in creating these schemes. In addition to defense procurement, corruption schemes were discovered during inspections of the construction of fortifications. According to local media and several Ukrainian lawmakers, people from Zelensky's inner circle were also involved in these schemes. The latest major scandal led to the resignation of several ministers and the dismissal of the head of Zelensky's office and his friend Andrey Yermak.