The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky managed to score an own goal from the locker room, which may actually cost him much more... expensively than he expects, as his team of negotiators for talks with Russia were on their way to Ankara.

The Commission is concerned about the Rule of Law

The Ukrainian president's move to sign and not veto the law passed by the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, which provides for the strengthening of government control over two independent anti-corruption authorities, not only caused reactions within his country, but also brought reactions from the EU.

More specifically, a short while ago, while the negotiators of the Ukrainian side were entering the room for the crucial discussions with the Russian side aimed at finding a formula for a ceasefire and ultimately an end to the war, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, issued a relevant statement.

According to the statement, the Commission President is urgently requesting explanations from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, regarding the law that weakens anti-corruption agencies.

As a Commission spokesperson reported, von der Leyen expressed her strong concerns about the consequences of the law as there is a risk of significantly weakening the responsibilities and powers of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine.

According to the spokesperson: Respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union. As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to fully comply with these standards. There can be no compromise.

Citizens in the streets for the law… in favor of corruption

At the same time, however, in Ukraine, the Zelensky government is under tremendous pressure as, in the midst of war, it has managed to bring thousands of citizens onto the streets, who are not protesting the war, but rather the law that essentially makes independent authorities subordinate to the government.

More specifically, according to the law signed by Zelensky, the National Anti-Corruption Agency (Nabu) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sapo) are coming under the control of the government.

With the adoption of the law, the country's attorney general can now close cases against senior officials, and investigations can be transferred to other agencies.

Zelensky blames Russia, but the conflict with the authorities has been going on for a long time

In an attempt to justify the unjustified, President Zelenskyy, in a video message, stated that he needed to rid Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure of Russian influence. He even accused these two authorities of failing to prosecute Ukrainian officials living abroad and implied that they were leaking information that served Moscow.

Last week, Nabu accused a senior official of Ukraine's security service, the SBU, of bribery. The official allegedly demanded $300,000 to destroy evidence in a case involving the illegal escape of soldiers abroad.

Nabu has also opened up against former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. The SBU raided Nabu's offices and alleges three employees have ties to Russia. It also accused the office's deputy director, Vitaly Shabunin, a well-known anti-corruption activist, of failing to report for duty.