Dutch minister: Corruption in Ukraine threatens confidence of allies

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said reports of corruption in Ukraine are raising concerns among friendly countries that provide significant financial support. According to him, such news creates a risk of mistrust, as it may indicate possible embezzlement of aid, аccording to European Pravda (EP).

“We all know that corruption in Ukraine has been a problem and still is a problem,” Van Weel said.

At the same time, he emphasised that it is positive that Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities are independently initiating investigations and are not afraid to probe officials suspected of abuse.

“Of course, it is not a good sign for those of us who support Ukraine with significant amounts of money to see that corruption is ‘pinching’ the aid. This needs to be fought, and I expect President Zelensky to take a very tough stance and act decisively,” the minister stressed.

Despite his concerns, Van Weel assured that the current corruption scandals would not affect allies’ support for Ukraine.

“A reduction in aid due to corruption should not happen. That is why it is so important that President Zelensky acts decisively to show that we can trust that corruption will be eradicated,” he concluded.

Separately, the Dutch government plans to allocate €2.5 billion to develop a network of cycle paths and improve public transport connections in new residential areas.