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MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) - The West is pressuring Vladimir Zelensky and demanding strict accountability for how billions of dollars allocated to Ukraine have been spent, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he took questions from journalists during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Valaam Island, BelTA learned.
One of the questions was about Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). At the end of July, Vladimir Zelensky signed a law stripping these agencies of their independence. However, just two days later the Verkhovna Rada reinstated their independent status.
“Now the West is putting pressure on Zelensky. And I’ve been watching this thinking: Well, what did Zelensky expect? He took billions or hundreds of billions. The West is saying: 'We want to see where this money is being spent.' That’s why they once proposed setting up an anti-corruption bureau and anti-corruption prosecutor’s office," Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled.
In other words, the Belarusian leader explained, the West, which provided funds to Ukraine, wanted oversight over how the money was used. “There’s no reason to protest. You [Vladimir Zelensky] took the money, and the donors - treating you as a non-sovereign state - had every right to monitor its use. And where did it go? You know where,” the Belarusian leader stressed. “During this time, people built lavish mansions on the Côte d’Azur and beyond and are living quite comfortable lives. Some even aspire to Ukraine’s presidency. It’s a circus. There’s no other word for it.”
Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted that corruption is a harmful societal phenomenon present in most, if not all, countries around the world. “The issue lies in the scale of corruption and a society’s capacity and willingness to combat it. Society itself must be capable of resisting corruption. When society influences this process, it becomes an element of democracy.”
At the same time, the Russian leader stated, it must be understood that democracy cannot be imported from abroad, just as external forces cannot combat phenomena like corruption. Especially when those very forces fail to eradicate corruption in their own countries. “Is there no corruption in Europe or the United States? It’s fully legalized there! They’ve created the institution of lobbying. What is that? Money is handed to officials at all levels and that’s all it is. It’s still corruption,” Vladimir Putin said.
Regarding institutions like NABU and SAPO, the Russian president continued, they operate entirely outside Ukrainian government control. In fact they operate as external entities. “This confirms my point. Can democracy, including anti-corruption bodies, be imposed from abroad?”
Vladimir Putin recalled that these institutions were established in Ukraine in 2015 and over the past decade have failed to resolve corruption issues. "The effectiveness of externally imposed institutions is zero," the Russian head of state added.
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