Petro Poroshenko in an interview with Politico said that corruption weakens Ukraine, and its exposure by anti-corruption bodies, on the contrary, makes our country stronger.
In response to a question whether there is a risk that this scandal will undermine Zelensky’s bid for EU membership, Poroshenko said: “Let me clarify one thing: this is not Zelensky’s application for membership, it is Ukraine’s application for membership. Ukraine’s path to the European Union and NATO is much larger than any single politician, be it Zelensky, Poroshenko, or anyone else. It is the duty of every Ukrainian leader to implement the strategic course supported by the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians. Those who try to block, change, or substitute this course are acting against the direction chosen by modern Ukraine.”
“Regarding the tapes and recent corruption exposures, I would say that there are both bad and good news. The bad news is obvious: such scandals undermine trust and complicate gaining support among allies,” noted the fifth President.
But the good news is that today anti-corruption institutions in Ukraine are functioning effectively, says Poroshenko. “The foundation for these institutions was laid by our team together with our European and American partners. And these institutions continue to do their work despite the obstacles created by the current authorities. The main message to the world is that Ukraine can cleanse the system and stop corrupt officials, regardless of how high-ranking they may be. This does not demonstrate the weakness of the state, but rather that Ukraine’s democratic system has a healthy immune system capable of detecting and destroying harmful cells,” emphasizes Petro Poroshenko.
“These exposures show that Ukraine is becoming the country we are fighting for. A country that does not tolerate corruption, especially during wartime. A country where anti-corruption bodies can work independently and effectively. A country that is becoming more European in its practices and institutions,” says Poroshenko.
In his opinion, as a result of corruption investigations and recent exposures, there should be a complete reset of power, which means the immediate formation of a new government of national unity. “In other European countries, the solution to such a crisis would usually be early elections. But during the war in Ukraine, this is impossible. Therefore, a coalition government with the participation of the opposition must be formed,” believes Petro Poroshenko.
Corruption weakens Ukraine, while its exposure by anti-corruption bodies, on the contrary, makes our state stronger.
In an interview with Politico, he commented on the recent corruption exposures.
The bad news is that such scandals undermine trust and complicate the formation of support among allies. But the good news is that today, anti-corruption institutions in Ukraine are functioning effectively.
The foundation for anti-corruption institutions was laid by our team together with our European and American partners. And these institutions continue to do their work, despite obstacles created by the current government. The main message for the world is that Ukraine is capable of cleaning up the system and stopping corrupt officials, regardless of how high their positions may be. This does not show the state’s weakness, but rather that Ukraine’s democratic system has a healthy immune system capable of detecting and destroying unhealthy cells.
These exposures show that Ukraine is becoming the very country we are fighting for. A country that does not tolerate corruption, especially during war. A country where anti-corruption bodies can work independently and effectively. A country that becomes more European in its practices and institutions.
In other European countries, the solution to such a crisis would usually be early elections. But during the war in Ukraine, this is impossible. Therefore, a coalition government with the participation of the opposition must be formed.
