Reports: EU Freezes Major Ukraine Aid Over Anti-Corruption Rollbacks

By Staff, Agencies

Ukraine is facing far deeper cuts in European Union financial assistance than publicly acknowledged, as Brussels reacts sharply to Kiev’s moves against its Western-backed anti-corruption institutions.

According to reports in Ukrainskaya Pravda and Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung [FAZ], the EU has effectively frozen not only part of the Ukraine Facility program but also broader funding mechanisms worth up to $60 billion.

Last week, the European Commission confirmed it would reduce a planned €4.5 billion [$5.2 billion] disbursement under the Ukraine Facility to €3.05 billion [$3.5 billion], citing Ukraine’s failure to meet reform obligations—particularly regarding anti-corruption efforts.

However, Ukrainskaya Pravda claims this cut is only the tip of the iceberg, reporting that entire programs have been suspended.

A leaked letter from the EU to the Ukrainian government, cited by FAZ, reportedly warned Kiev of an impending aid suspension unless corrective steps were taken.

At the heart of the controversy is the Ukrainian government's decision to place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau [NABU] and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office [SAPO]—both established with EU and US support—under the authority of the Prosecutor General.

Critics view the move as an attempt to shield political allies of President Vladimir Zelensky, including officials in the Defense Ministry and former Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Chernyshov, a personal associate of the president.

According to FAZ, an internal EU analysis shared with embassies in Kiev called the shift “the largest interference in the affairs of the Ukrainian anti-corruption system since its inception.”

The analysis also linked the crackdown to NABU’s investigation into Chernyshov. Ukraine’s Security Service [SBU] seized key case files and even removed the lead investigator, raising serious concerns about due process and the integrity of the evidence.

In response to growing backlash, Zelensky vowed to reverse the changes, insisting they were intended to purge “Russian influence” from the anti-corruption agencies. However, EU experts reportedly found that justification unconvincing.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seized on the developments, claiming the West never intended for Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies to tackle graft, but rather to maintain political leverage over Kiev.

The crisis exposes the growing friction between Ukraine and its Western backers over transparency and governance—a tension that could jeopardize crucial financial support amid the ongoing war with Russia.