Zelenskyy — still holding onto power a year after his term ended — commandeers anti-corruption bureau, sparking protests



President Donald Trump ruffled feathers in February when he characterized Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the Ukrainian leader who suspended elections, dissolved rival parties, sanctioned a political opponent on suspicion of "high treason," consolidated Ukraine's media outlets, banned a Christian denomination, and remains president despite his term officially ending in May 2024 — as a "dictator without elections" who wants to "keep the 'gravy train' going."

Zelenskyy has faced continued criticism in the months since over his apparent efforts to appropriate and remain in power, including from the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, whose authority and responsibilities the Ukrainian president has effectively neutralized by appointing a rival military administration in the capital.

Klitschko, furious over the "raids, interrogations, and threats of fabricated criminal cases" apparently undermining his city council, told the Times (U.K.) in May, "This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war."

"I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country," continued the mayor. "Now it stinks."

Zelenskyy gave his critics further cause for suspicion and sparked mass protests on Tuesday by ratifying legislation that will give the country's prosecutor general — Zelenskyy's appointee — powers over Ukraine's National Anticorruption Bureau, thereby affording the president the ability to torpedo investigations into his administration.

Ukrainska Pravda indicated that the legislation drew protest from numerous members of parliament, which has not had elections since 2019, and stressed that the shakeup "means the destruction of the independence of anti-corruption bodies."

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 Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Daria Kaleniuk, a co-founder of the nongovernmental Anticorruption Action Center who helped establish the NABU following Ukraine's 2014 regime change, told the Wall Street Journal, "What's happening is the demolition of the anticorruption infrastructure in Ukraine."

Olena Tregub, executive director of the Independent Defense Anti-Corruption Commission, suggested on LinkedIn that "weakening NABU and [the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office] is a dangerous mistake."

"It threatens to derail Ukraine's EU aspirations, fuels political polarization, and could erode public trust in the president who once promised to make the fight against corruption a cornerstone of his leadership," wrote Tregub. "Independent anti-corruption institutions are not simply a box to check for European integration. They are essential for building a democratic, transparent, and truly European Ukraine."

Zelenskyy said in a video statement on Tuesday that "the anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence — it needs to be cleared of that."

"Criminal proceedings must not drag on for years without lawful verdicts. And those who work against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune to the inevitability of punishment," Zelenskyy added in a separate statement concerning his meeting with top Ukrainian law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.

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 Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Zelenskyy signed the bill the day after the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which operates ultimately under the authority of Zelenskyy, launched a series of raids on NABU offices largely on the basis of allegations that agency officials were cooperating with Russia.

The SBU claimed in a statement on Monday that while acting under the procedural guidance of the office of Zelenskyy's prosecutor general, it "exposed the agent penetration of [Russia's Federal Security Service] into the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine."

'This decision endangers not only the functioning of anticorruption institutions but also Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.'

NABU indicated that as of Monday evening, the SBU, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Prosecutor General's Office had executed at least 70 raids in relation to the anti-corruption bureau's employees.

"In most cases, the grounds cited for these actions are the alleged involvement of certain individuals in traffic accidents," said NABU. "However, some employees are being accused of possible connections with the aggressor state. These are unrelated matters."

The anti-corruption bureau indicated that the raids took place while its director, Semen Kryvonos, was on an official visit to the United Kingdom.

Kryvonos suggested that the law effectively handing over NABU to Zelenskyy was pushed by officials who were actively being investigated by the bureau, reported the Wall Street Journal.

"This pressure campaign is a direct response to the effectiveness of our investigations, including those targeting high-ranking officials and members of Parliament," said Kryvonos. "This decision endangers not only the functioning of anticorruption institutions but also Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

"The president of the European Commission was in contact with President Zelenskyy about these latest developments," a European Commission spokesperson told Politico. "President von der Leyen conveyed her strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments, and she requested the Ukrainian government for explanations."

The European Commission spokesperson added, "The 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 uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise."

In 2012, Ernst & Young ranked Ukraine in the top three of the most corrupt countries in its 12th Global Fraud Survey. Transparency International rated it the most corrupt country in Europe after Russia and ranked it 130th among 180 countries in its 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index.

The country has, however, showed some signs of improvement, such that it now ranks 105th on the Corruption Perceptions Index, with a score of 35. By way of comparison, America's score is 65, with 100 signaling perfection.

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Trump Privately Urges Ukraine To Strike Russian Territory, Floats Hitting Moscow With US Weapons: Report

President Donald Trump has privately urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to ramp up strikes on Russia territory and asked whether Ukraine could hit Moscow if the United States provided long-range weapons, according to a report Tuesday.

The post Trump Privately Urges Ukraine To Strike Russian Territory, Floats Hitting Moscow With US Weapons: Report appeared first on .

Trump confirms he's sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine — but with one major caveat



President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over his apparent reluctance to negotiate a lasting peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It appears, however, that this frustration has now been eclipsed by his displeasure with Putin's bellicosity.

Days after suggesting that Putin deals in "bulls**t" that sounds nice but "turns out to be meaningless," Trump confirmed Monday that his administration is going to send some serious military hardware to Ukraine — as he suggested he would in talks with the Ukrainian leader earlier this month — despite Pentagon concerns that U.S. weapon stockpiles have fallen dangerously low.

On again, off again

Days after his disastrous Feb. 28 meeting at the White House, Zelenskyy — whose term officially ended in May 2024 — suggested that a deal to end the war between Kyiv and Moscow was "still very, very far away" and that continued aid from the U.S. was a certainty.

'America will not put up with it for much longer!'

Zelenskyy's presumption of guaranteed aid at American taxpayers' expense evidently angered Trump, who was already peeved that the foreign leader was "not ready for Peace if America is involved" and had "disrespected the United States of America."

Trump ordered a pause on all military aid being sent to Ukraine, writing, "America will not put up with it for much longer!"

When, days later, Kyiv signaled an openness to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, Trump reversed course on military aid.

Zelenskyy indirectly moved the needle further on military aid weeks later by signing the April 30 Ukraine-United States Mineral Resources Agreement. Before the ink on the deal was dry, the Trump administration approved the sale of F-16 fighter jet parts, training, and maintenance to Ukraine.

The flow of weapons to Ukraine once again came to an abrupt halt earlier this month when the Pentagon determined that the U.S. was running low on Patriot missile interceptors and 155mm artillery shells.

White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly noted that the decision "was made to put America's interests first following a DOD review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe."

Politico reported that the decision to halt shipments followed a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles and was driven by Elbridge Colby — a Pentagon policy chief who understands that China, not Russia or Middle Eastern rogue states, "presents a real, concrete peril to Americans and especially to the realization of the goals that the New Right seeks."

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 Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Colby said in statement obtained by CNN at the time of the pause, "The Department of Defense continues to provide the president with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end. At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces' readiness for administration defense priorities."

'They should be in actually for more than us.'

Colby's apparent desire to ensure America was not handing away weapons at the expense of its own war-making ability was condemned by the usual suspects, including Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, who claimed Colby was "taking action that will surely result in the imminent death of many Ukrainian military and civilians."

To the satisfaction of Kaptur and others keen on sending more armaments to Ukraine, Trump vacated the order to pause shipments and said he would send even more to Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell noted on July 7 that "at President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops."

Patriot batteries and more

Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday that his administration is going to supply Ukraine with "various pieces of very sophisticated military" equipment, including Patriot air defense batteries, and European nations will foot the bill.

"We're in for about $350 billion. Europe is in for $100 billion. That's a lot of money, 100, but they should be in actually for more than us," Trump said. "So as we send equipment, they are going to reimburse us for that equipment."

'We want everlasting peace.'

While Trump did not indicate how many Patriot batteries his administration will send to Ukraine, he emphasized that they are desperately needed because "Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice, and then he bombs everybody in the evening. So there's a little bit of a problem there. I don't like it."

During his meeting on Monday with Trump, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the plan to ship American weapons to Ukraine at European expense and indicated that "speed was of the essence."

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— (@)  
 

Trump expressed hope that the weapons help chasten Moscow without emboldening Kyiv to the point of seeking to prolong the war.

"We want everlasting peace," Trump stressed.

In addition to lamenting the war, suggesting his predecessor should have stopped it at the outset, and indicating that the new weapons would be "quickly distributed to the battlefield," Trump threatened to impose "very severe tariffs" of 100% on Russia if a deal to end the war in Ukraine is not brokered.

Blaze News has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Zelensky Says Ukraine Ready for Peace Negotiations Following Clash With Trump

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that "Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table," following a clash with President Donald Trump in the White House that cast doubt on a lasting ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

The post Zelensky Says Ukraine Ready for Peace Negotiations Following Clash With Trump  appeared first on .

Treasury Secretary Bessent: US-Ukrainian economic deal is dead in the water



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday to finalize a deal that would afford America access to some of his country's natural wealth in exchange for investments in a reconstruction fund and a U.S. economic presence that could serve as a deterrent to future aggression from without.

Following his heated exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy was reportedly told to leave the White House before the agreement could be signed. Trump noted on Truth Social, "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the so-called minerals deal — which he referred to as a "general economic agreement" — is off the table in the interim.

Bessent, who was present for the ill-fated meeting with the Ukrainian president as well as for previous attempts at closing the deal, told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Sunday that "it is impossible to have an economic deal without a peace deal. The sine qua non for an economic deal is that Ukrainian leadership wants a peace deal."

Zelenskyy confirmed Wednesday that he was unsuccessful in pushing for an explicit security guarantee in the deal from the United States, reported the BBC.

'This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history.'

"I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it's important that it's there," said Zelenskyy.

"I want to find a NATO path or something similar," he continued, adding, "If we don't get security guarantees, we won't have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing."

Although Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others in the administration figured they had made clear to the Ukrainian leadership that peace was a prerequisite for greater American involvement and that the deal was itself a de facto security guarantee, Zelenskyy cast doubt on the value of diplomacy during the Friday meeting, citing the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin might violate a ceasefire.

The treasury secretary told Brennan that the initial plan was for Zelenskyy to join around 16 individuals for lunch where the deal would be signed after the press conference in the Oval Office.

"We were already set up to sign the deal," said Bessent. "President Zelenskyy has thrown off the sequencing."

"Let me tell you the most tragic part of this," continued the treasury secretary. "President Trump's idea for this economic arrangement was to further intertwine the American people and Ukrainian people and show no daylight — to show the Russian leadership that there was no daylight. And President Zelenskyy came into the Oval Office and tried to relitigate in front of the world the deal."

Bessent suggested that absent a desire on Zelenskyy's part to strike a peace deal, the economic deal is dead in the water.

"I think we have to see if President Zelenskyy wants to proceed," said Bessent. "What's the use in having an economic agreement that's going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue?"

Bessent told Fox News' Laura Ingraham hours after the foiled deal closing, "This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history."

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In Ukraine Interview, Rubio Gives Master Class In Handling Foreign Affairs

Marco Rubio outlined American interests in the administration's pressure campaign to force friendly a peace deal on Ukraine.

The Economist Blames Trump For Europe’s Weakness, But Europe Should Blame Itself

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Given opportunity to soften Trump's blows against Zelenskyy, Rubio keeps swinging



Independent journalist Catherine Herridge provided Secretary of State Marco Rubio with an opportunity Thursday to adopt a kinder, gentler approach to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy than that taken by President Donald Trump earlier in the week.

Instead, Rubio leaned into Trump's criticism of the foreign leader and added a few critiques of his own, including the suggestion that Zelenskyy is two-faced.

American and Russian diplomats met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss how best to proceed with ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy was not extended an invitation.

The Ukrainian president canceled his trip to the region and stated that "decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed."

'Keep the "gravy train" going.'

Trump suggested to reporters Tuesday evening that Zelenskyy has demonstrated in recent years that he would not have been a useful addition to the Saudi Arabia talks; that Zelenskyy's complaint about a lack of representation and political agency was hypocritical given that the Ukrainian people have not had elections since February 2022 and continue to be ruled by a increasingly unpopular president whose term expired in May 2024; and that Ukraine had a hand in starting the war.

Zelenskyy was quick to respond, accusing Trump of living in a "disinformation space" and suggesting that Trump's team should "be more truthful."

The heated back-and-forth was far from over.

Trump jumped on Truth Social Wednesday morning to characterize the leader who suspended elections, dissolved rival parties, consolidated Ukraine's media outlets, and banned a Christian denomination as a "dictator without elections" who wants to "keep the 'gravy train' going."

Herridge asked Rubio in an interview that aired Thursday what he thought about Trump's Truth Social post accusing Zelenskyy of being a dictator.

'That's not what happened in that meeting.'

The secretary of state said that Trump was upset at the Ukrainian president and "rightfully so," noting that the 47th president is hardly the first to have frustrations with Zelenskyy and that "people shouldn't forget it."

Rubio alluded to when former President Joe Biden castigated Zelenskyy on a June 2022 phone call for his apparent lack of gratitude. Citing numerous insiders said to be familiar with the call, NBC News reported that Biden had barely finished telling Zelenskyy that the U.S. was pouring another $1 billion in U.S. military assistance into Ukraine when Zelenskyy started complaining about all the additional support he wanted but was supposedly not receiving.

Rubio noted further that he was "personally very upset because we had a conversation with President Zelenskyy — the vice president and I, three of us — and we discussed this issue about the mineral rights. We explained to them, 'Look, we want to be in a joint venture with you, not because we're trying to steal from your country, but because we think that's actually a security guarantee. If we're your partner in an important economic endeavor, we get paid back some of the money taxpayers have given, close to $200 billion, and also now we have a vested interest in the security of Ukraine.'"

According to the secretary of state, Zelenskyy indicated in the meeting that he supported the proposed mineral deal, that it made all the sense in the world, and that he would run it through his "legislative process."

"I read two days later that Zelenskyy is out there saying, 'I rejected the deal. I told him no way, that we're not doing that.' Well, that's not what happened in that meeting," said Rubio, adding that it's upsetting particularly when the U.S. is trying to "help these guys."

Rubio defended Trump's recent statements, indicating the message he is attempting to convey is that "he's not going to get gamed here. He's willing to work on peace because he cares about Ukraine, and he hopes Zelenskyy will be a partner in that and not someone who's out there putting this sort of counter-messaging to try to hustle us."

Vance, whom Zelenskyy previously called a "radical" and painted as clueless about the war, noted on X, "What Secretary Rubio is saying here is exactly right."

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Zelenskyy lashes out at Trump over suggestion Ukraine started war, should hold elections again



American and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to get the ball rolling on ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made widely known his displeasure at not being invited to the discussions, canceling his trip to Riyadh and telling reporters, "Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed."

Hours after U.S. and Russian dignitaries agreed to appoint high-level teams to "begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible," President Donald Trump addressed Zelenskyy's complaint.

In addition to insinuating that Zelenskyy has proven himself incapable of doing what is needed in such talks and lacks the support of his people, Trump suggested that Ukraine started the war and should resume the practice of holding elections.

After suggesting that there has been little transparency about the hundreds of billions of dollars the U.S. has poured into Europe in recent years, Trump told reporters during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday, "I want to see peace. Look, you know why I want it? Because I don't want all these people killed any more. I'm looking at people that are being killed, and they're Russian and Ukrainian people — but they're people. It doesn't matter where they're from."

"I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well," continued Trump. "But today I heard, 'Oh well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years [ago]."

The 47th president added that Ukraine provoked Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, stating, "You should have never started it."

According to Trump, Ukraine fumbled an opportunity to end the war — a possible allusion to the warring nations' peace talks in 2022 in Turkey, where negotiators reportedly produced multiple drafts of a treaty that would apparently have seen Ukraine's security guaranteed while also satisfying a number of Putin's demands, such as Ukraine's indefinite neutrality and inability to join NATO.

'That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me.'

Trump further suggested that while Zelenskyy is upset over his lack of representation at the discussions in Saudi Arabia, the Ukrainian people might similarly be upset over their lack of representation in Kyiv.

"We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating," said Trump, citing a figure the Ukrainian press quickly claimed was likely Russian propaganda.

A recent Kyiv International Institute of Sociology survey of 1,000 residents in Ukrainian-controlled territory indicated that 57% of respondents trusted Zelenskyy and 37% did not trust him.

"Wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say, like, 'You know, it's been a long time since we've had an election,'" continued Trump. "That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries."

Martial law has been in effect since Feb. 24, 2022, barring elections from taking place. Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, who have been spared political challenges for years, voted earlier this month to extend martial law again until May 9.

'He lives in this disinformation space.'

Zelenskyy's term was supposed to end in May 2024. An end to the war would likely mean he would have to fight for re-election, although he has not confirmed that he will run again.

The Ukrainian president was evidently prickled by Trump's remarks, stating in an interview, "Unfortunately, President Trump, who we respect a lot as a leader of the nation that we really respect — the American nation who supported us all the time — unfortunately, he lives in this disinformation space."

Zelenskyy, who credited Russia with the 4% figure cited by Trump, also said that he "would like Trump's team to be more truthful," reported the Associated Press.

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Trump Talks With Putin About Negotiating End to Ukraine War

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he directed his national security team to "start negotiations immediately" to end the war in Ukraine following a call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The post Trump Talks With Putin About Negotiating End to Ukraine War appeared first on .