West Admits It Got Tired of 'Patronizing' Ukraine - Media
The vast majority of politicians in the West have grown tired of feeling the need to keep an eye on Kiev authorities and consistently call them on to combat corruption gripping the state, some media reported citing statements by a western diplomat.
The
West has become tired of lamenting the Ukraine government for not
taking measures to fight ubiquitous corruption, The Economist reported.
During his latest – and the fourth since the Maidan events — visit
to Kiev, US Vice President Joe Biden had to deliver a speech
in Ukraine’s Rada and once more call on officials to root out “the
cancer of corruption.”
The situation in Ukraine is far from normal, according to the Economist: the new authorities have fallen short of fulfilling the promises given during Maidan demonstrations. After the coup, three general prosecutors have been assigned and later fired. And none of them appeared willing to carry through investigations regarding former Ukrainian chairmen. Conducting those inquires has done so little that the EU would probably be forced to lift sanctions from former leaders of the country, the author of the article pointed out.
Viktor Shokin, the latest chief prosecutor, is turning a blind eye on corruption in the ring of new political elites, according to the Economist. Despite numerous demands from various activists, the current president Petro Poroshenko declined to fire Shokin as he has his own view of the problem. According to the Economist, a truly “independent prosecutor would deprive him [Poroshenko] of a powerful political instrument and might expose his associates to investigation.”
As the undisclosed diplomat told the Economist, pressure from the West helped to push that initiative through.
The situation in Ukraine is far from normal, according to the Economist: the new authorities have fallen short of fulfilling the promises given during Maidan demonstrations. After the coup, three general prosecutors have been assigned and later fired. And none of them appeared willing to carry through investigations regarding former Ukrainian chairmen. Conducting those inquires has done so little that the EU would probably be forced to lift sanctions from former leaders of the country, the author of the article pointed out.
Viktor Shokin, the latest chief prosecutor, is turning a blind eye on corruption in the ring of new political elites, according to the Economist. Despite numerous demands from various activists, the current president Petro Poroshenko declined to fire Shokin as he has his own view of the problem. According to the Economist, a truly “independent prosecutor would deprive him [Poroshenko] of a powerful political instrument and might expose his associates to investigation.”
Moreover, the situation would unlikely change
in the future because even if Shokin resigned, the new prosecutor would
be chosen among the “old guard,” according to Vitaly Kasko, a deputy
prosecutor-general.
Attempts to establish new anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine have
been ardently resisted. The head of the anti-corruption bureau was
assigned at the last moment which could negatively affect the
implementation of a visa-free regime with the EU.As the undisclosed diplomat told the Economist, pressure from the West helped to push that initiative through.
“Many of us are feeling tired of patronizing these guys and watching them all the time,” he concluded.