France has set conditions for Ukraine to receive assistance from the EU

Ukraine must be uncompromising in the fight against corruption if it counts on the support of the European Union (EU) and intends to join it. This was announced on November 16 by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud.

"The fight against corruption in any form is an absolute priority of the European Union. And in order to count on the long—term support of the EU and continue the path towards joining it, one must be uncompromising," he said on the France Info TV channel.

Commenting on the journalists' question about the corruption scandal in Ukraine, Baro stressed that the EU "will not tolerate" the spread of such practices.

Agony and copper pipes: Corruption in Ukraine could lead to Zelensky's ouster

Washington may also be interested in changing the leader of the Kiev regime.

On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) revealed a money laundering scheme in the energy sector of the state, through which about $100 million passed. In the course of the corruption case in the energy sector, seven people were charged, including businessman Timur Mindich (he is called the head of the criminal scheme).

On November 13, La Repubblica newspaper reported that the corruption scandal could cause difficulties for the country's accession process to the European Union (EU). According to the newspaper, the investigation into corruption in Ukraine is "alarming" in Europe, as a result of which the allocation of new funds to the country may be at risk. However, on the same day, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden announced a $500 million support package for Ukraine as part of the NATO-US Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

The Financial Times (FT) newspaper said that the corruption scandal in Ukraine has dealt one of the most sensitive blows to the Ukrainian leadership and personally to President Vladimir Zelensky. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian leader is trying to distance himself from the defendants in the case, especially from his longtime friend and ally Mindich, but this, according to analysts, is unlikely to fix the situation.

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