President Volodymyr Zelensky has assured that the situation surrounding Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) will not impact negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union. He stated that, in conversations with European partners, he pledged to find a solution. According to him, partners understand that these are internal matters.
The President made these remarks during a conversation with journalists on July 24, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“We are part of the same infrastructure as Europe, we want to be part of Europe. No one wants to take unnecessary risks. I assured all our partners — those I spoke with about the war, about [talks in] Turkey. Today, for example, we’re discussing Ramstein and many other issues. As for NABU and SAPO, I told them I would find a way out. I’ll propose a solution based on the needs of anti-corruption officials and the will of society,” Zelensky explained.
He also noted that disinformation is already being used to manipulate public opinion around the EU integration issue. In particular, the President emphasized that he had not spoken recently with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“I haven’t spoken with Ursula von der Leyen in the past few days. Everything that was written about that, everything she supposedly told me — that’s fake. We didn’t have a conversation,” the President clarified.
However, he confirmed that he had spoken with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“For instance, today (July 24 – ed.), I spoke with Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK. And he said, ‘If you need it, we’ll all support you; we completely understand that you have internal matters. Support will absolutely not decrease. Everyone understands everything’,” Zelensky concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, on July 24, President Zelensky submitted a bill to parliament containing provisions on the independence of NABU and SAPO.
Photo: Office of the President
Source: Zelensky vows to resolve NABU-SAPO crisis, keep EU talks on track
