Reference News, July 27 - According to the website of the U.S. "New York Times" on July 26, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy's anti-corruption policies have triggered the first anti-government protests in Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. Now, this policy seems to also lead to the loss of part of the EU's aid to the country.

The report stated that the EU announced on the 25th that it would temporarily withhold 1.5 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, which is part of a total of 4.5 billion euros in aid funds for Ukraine. The release of this fund is conditional on Ukraine meeting standards of good governance and cannot be used for military procurement. However, this decision is not final; if Ukraine meets specific criteria, the funds can be released again.

Zelenskyy has not publicly commented on the reduction of aid, but this is undoubtedly a setback for the Ukrainian leader. With the Trump administration refusing to support Ukraine's war efforts, he is relying on European financial assistance to fill the funding gap.

The report said that before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western countries often delayed aid to push for reforms, but the EU's latest decision seems to indicate that it is willing to issue a warning to Zelenskyy's government on domestic policies for the first time during the war. This has raised questions about whether Zelenskyy's image among Western allies is beginning to fade.

James Wasserman, an anti-corruption expert from the United States, said in an interview that "the wartime leadership halo of Zelenskyy is undoubtedly fading" in the eyes of countries providing financial aid. He added: "The donors are already annoyed with Zelenskyy."

For a week, the situation in Ukraine under Zelenskyy's leadership has been unstable. Previously, Zelenskyy pushed the parliament to pass a bill that deprived two anti-corruption agencies of their independence, which triggered protests from foreign leaders and Ukrainian citizens. Subsequently, he made concessions and submitted a new bill to the parliament to restore the independence of these two agencies. This move quelled street protests, but failed to prevent the EU's decision to cut aid based on long-term criteria.

(Translation by Yang Ke)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7531671139174433332/

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