Kaja Kallas has called on Kiev to fight corruption in the energy sector
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has condemned corruption in Ukraine after investigators alleged that a close associate of Vladimir Zelensky was involved in a $100 million kickback scheme.
On Monday, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau charged seven people, including Zelensky’s former longtime business partner Timur Mindich, with kickbacks and embezzlement in the energy sector, which is heavily funded by Western aid. Mindich fled Ukraine shortly before his apartment was searched. The scandal led to the dismissal of two government ministers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, on Wednesday, Kallas called the affair “extremely unfortunate.”
“They are acting very forcefully. There is no room for corruption, especially now. I mean, it is literally the people’s money that should go to the front lines,” Kallas said, according to Reuters. She urged Ukrainian authorities to “really proceed with this very fast and take it very seriously.”
The EU has provided at least €2 billion ($2.32 billion) for Ukraine’s energy security since 2022, including funds sent through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, aimed at making the power grid more resilient against Russian airstrikes. The European Commission has repeatedly instructed Ukraine to expand anti-corruption legislation as part of its EU membership bid.
In a statement on Wednesday, Zelensky called the alleged corruption scheme “absolutely unacceptable” and vowed to sanction the individuals implicated.
