President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to criticism of the new law, which deprives anti-corruption bodies of their independence. Therefore, he expects proposals from the heads of relevant structures regarding the reform of the law enforcement system. The head of state announced this in his Telegram -channel.

"And there will be no Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement agencies, and - very importantly - all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place. And I very much expect from our group of heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, from the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, proposals for those norms that should work. This will be a presidential bill, and we will implement it within the framework of our strategy for transforming the state," Zelensky said.

He added that the heads of law enforcement institutions will jointly propose an action plan that"can strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine."

"Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days - on social networks, to each other, on the streets. It's all for a reason. We have analyzed all the concerns, all the aspects of what should be changed and what should be activated," Zelensky added.

The president also noted that he held a number of meetings with government officials and representatives of law enforcement agencies. In particular, with the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP), the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and the Prosecutor General.

"It was important to me that everyone gave their arguments. It is important that they told each other what had been accumulating for a long time. I really appreciate the agreement on teamwork and on measures that can really give a sense of the inevitability of punishment, and therefore, justice in Ukraine," Zelenskyy noted.

Law on Anti-Corruption Institutions in Ukraine

On the eve The Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 12414, which the president signed on the same day. Key provisions of this law give the Prosecutor General's Office the authority to take over investigated cases from the NABU and the SAPO, as well as to give instructions to representatives of these anti-corruption bodies.

In the West criticized restrictions on the independence of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. In particular, European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said that they are"very concerned" about the recent changes in Ukraine, which risk"significantly weakening the competences and powers of anti-corruption institutions", which are"crucial to Ukraine's reform agenda". Ambassadors from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have also expressed their concerns.