The president of the European Commission urged Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, July 27, to preserve the independence of anti-corruption organizations, after a row last week over Kyiv's move to curb their powers. Ursula von der Leyen said she had held good talks with the leader of Ukraine, a country she said had "already achieved a lot on its European path."
"It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," she added in a post on X. Ukraine sparked a firestorm of criticism on Tuesday after its parliament voted to revoke the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies.
The EU at the time described the move as a "serious step back," with critics saying it would enable the government to meddle in high-profile graft cases. Von der Leyen herself demanded "explanations" from Zelensky, a rare rebuke from Brussels that came as Kyiv is pushing to join the 27-nation EU.
The move sparked unprecedented protests in Kyiv, and Zelensky backtracked two days later, announcing new laws to guarantee the independence of the anti-graft bodies. The EU was quick to welcome that action, saying the fight against corruption was "an extremely important priority for us and for Ukraine as well."
"Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," said von der Leyen on Sunday in her post on X.