Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s sweeping audit of state-owned companies has apparently appeased key European allies frustrated with corruption at the nation’s highest levels.
Five European defense leaders gathered in Berlin on Friday and affirmed that Ukraine will continue to receive their support in its war with Russia. It was a meeting of the “European Five” — a “security mechanism” within the European Union consisting of the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, France, and Italy.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius declared that his country is “prepared to continue taking the lead in supporting Ukraine,” likely a relief for Kyiv after statements of concern about the corruption scandal from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week.
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin also affirmed that her nation “will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” a sentiment echoed in Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s claim that “our commitment to Kyiv will continue — always.”
EU membership remains Ukraine’s ultimate geopolitical goal, as the country views it as a guarantee against future Russian aggression due to the reciprocal defense agreements it confers.
Zelensky met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Friday, who reported the imminent “launch of audit processes in state-owned companies” after European nations voiced deep concern over the malpractice of top Ukrainian leaders.
“We agreed that the audits must be conducted promptly, and all results must be forwarded to law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies for appropriate action,” Zelensky announced Friday.
The Ukrainian leader said he has “instructed that Ukraine’s key partners be promptly informed about the audit outcomes and related decisions.”
At the heart of the scandal is Energoatom, a nuclear power company entangled in an alleged $100 million kickback scheme.
Ukraine’s justice minister, German Galushchenko, and former deputy prime minister, Oleksiy Chernyshov, were identified in the sting, dubbed “Operation Midas.” Timur Mindich, a businessman close to Zelensky, and Ihor Myroniuk, former deputy head of the State Property Fund, were also hit by the operation.
The high-profile misconduct of some of Zelensky’s closest allies is seen as a threat to the credibility of his government. Zelensky took phone calls from multiple European leaders, later promising a “cleansing and reset” of the nuclear company.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an arch-opponent of Ukraine in the EU, seized the moment to declare Kyiv run by a “wartime mafia” and urged the EU to cut funding to the country.
Svyrydenko has said she considers the eradication of corruption in the war-torn country to be a “matter of honor and dignity.”
“During full-scale war, when the enemy destroys our energy system every day and our people live under constant outage schedules — any corruption is absolutely unacceptable,” she said in a statement on Thursday.