Two senior US senators have warned that a new Ukrainian law could roll back years of progress in fighting corruption.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican, issued a joint statement after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that strips the country’s anti-corruption agencies of their independence.
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“Ukraine has made enormous strides on its anti-corruption agenda since the Revolution of Dignity,” the senators said. “That progress, made even while fighting off Russian aggression, shows the strength of the Ukrainian people.”
“But we fear this law undermines much of that progress and goes against the expectations of both Ukrainian citizens and the international community,” they said.
Passed by parliament hastily on Tuesday, July 22, the legislation removes the independent status of NABU and SAPO, giving the Prosecutor General powers to oversee investigations, access case files, and even close cases based on defense requests.
The late-night signature came after thousands of demonstrators gathered for hours outside the presidential complex in Kyiv and in other cities – including Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipro – to protest the new law that many fear is a major blow to the country’s push to eliminate graft in government institutions.
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos urged Zelensky to veto the bill, warning it “effectively destroys” the agency’s independence. Despite the outcry, Zelensky said late Tuesday that NABU and SAPO would continue to operate but needed to be “cleared of Russian influence.”
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On Wednesday, Zelensky, pressured by growing protests, said he would propose a bill to parliament that would include all the provisions necessary to help ensure the independence of anti-corruption institutions.
That seemed to placate, at least for the moment, the two disenfranchised agencies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
“We are grateful for the constructive dialogue and meetings that help foster joint efforts, said a joint statement from NABU and SAPO on Facebook on Wednesday.
Shaheen and Graham said Ukraine must avoid giving its critics more reasons to question international support.
“One of the most common arguments for cutting support to Ukraine is that the country is corrupt,” they said. “Ukraine is making progress, and we urge the government to avoid actions that would weaken that progress.”
“There continues to be strong bipartisan support for Ukraine,” they added, “but future US investment depends on trust in Ukraine’s institutions and its commitment to transparency,” the joint statement added.
Allegations of Russian influence within NABU
On Monday, one day before the speedy adoption of the controversial law, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office launched a joint operation to root out alleged Russian influence within NABU. Investigators searched the agency’s offices in what officials described as a “security measure.”
In a public statement, NABU said that at least 70 searches were conducted, targeting 15 of its employees. The SBU on Tuesday arrested multiple NABU officials accused of Russian ties.
The step back from the EU path
Western allies, including the European Union and G7 nations, have warned that weakening Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts could slow its progress toward EU accession and shake international confidence in the government’s reform agenda.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the move could hurt Ukraine’s chances of joining the European Union.
Ukraine formally applied to join the EU following Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022. Accession negotiations began in June 2024, with the fight against corruption considered one of the most important conditions.
Anti-Corruption Protests Enter Second Day
Protesters gathered outside Kyiv’s presidential complex for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, opposing the government’s passage of the controversial bill, 12414.
The nationwide protest swelled on its second day, with the Kyiv crowd spilling from the presidential complex onto neighboring Horodetsky Street – growing three to four times larger than the day before and reaching an estimated 10,000 – an unprecedented turnout since the 2014 Euromaidan.
On the second day, protesters from a wider range of age groups joined the movement, compared to the mostly young crowd seen on day one. Their demand remained unchanged: slash Law 12414.
A placard that says, “God, what a shame – a total s**tshow” was seen during the protest. Others read “We’re Ukraine, not Russia” and “Shame.”
Despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement on Wednesday that he would submit a new bill next week to restore the independence of the anti-graft agencies, protesters said they weren’t willing to wait.
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