The introduction of a law that makes Ukrainian anti-corruption efforts less independent does not deserve an award, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledges. There “probably should have been more dialogue,” he said Friday after days of fierce protests.
Zelensky says he has listened to the people who protested against the law. He placed the main anti-corruption services, NABU and SAPO, under the prosecutor general. This would allow the government to interfere with their work.
Under heavy domestic and international pressure, the government in Kyiv came up with a new law on Thursday. It should repair the damage and still guarantee the independence of NABU and SAPO.
“It is perfectly normal for people to react if they don’t want something or if they don’t like something,” the Ukrainian president told reporters. It is “very important that we listen and respond in the right way. We have responded.”
Zelensky says on X that the new law was created with input from NABU and SAPO. The government also listened to European proposals, including proposals from Germany and the United Kingdom.