There is a different side to the Ukraine story than we’ve been told. Corruption has run rampant through the Ukrainian government ever since it gained independence from the former Soviet Union. One watchdog name Ukraine the second most corrupt nation in the world. That ranking by Transparency International rated Ukraine the second most corrupt in Europe as of 2021.
When Russia began their invasion of Ukraine several months ago, I like many Americans was devastated as I watched the killing and destruction that was taking place. I was all in when it came to supplying weaponry to beat back Putin and his dastardly army.
I praised President Zelenskyy and his valiant and brave stand against the Russian invaders. In my opinion there was not a more courageous leader in the world. But now that the war has continued and our Congress just handed over $40 billion of taxpayer money without any controls, I wonder if we should curtail our fervent support of Ukraine.
After all, couldn’t that $40 billion- a huge amount in even Elon Musk’s bank account, be used to better our lives here in the United States? It might have been used to resolve our supply chain issues. But instead, we gave it to a corrupt government that may or may not use it to further their cause in the war.
It seems there is a long history of U.S./Ukrainian ties to alleged corruption. For instance, President Donald Trump’s first impeachment had everything to do with a phone call between Trump and Zelenskyy and weapons we were supposed to be supplying to Ukraine. Trump’s attorney and confidant Rudy Giuliani was investigated for his involvement with two shadowy Ukrainian figures.
Likewise, when Joe Biden was vice-president, his son Hunter, as well as John Kerry’s son, were named to Ukraine’s largest energy company- Burisma’s Board of Directors. Hunter Biden allegedly was paid up to $50k a month to sit on the Ukraine board. His father was investigated by Ukrainian courts for his alleged roll in demanding that a Ukrainian prosecutor be fired.
Wikipedia states bribery is essentially an accepted practice in Ukraine. Police, health officials and educators are often the recipients of bribes as they dole out favors to those that can afford to offer money. It is a society where 70 percent of the people are very poor, yet at the top, there are oligarchs parading around the world worth billions.
Zelenskyy has made efforts to clean up the corruption perpetuated by his predecessors; however, it is deeply ingrained in Ukraine government, and will take much time to eradicate. His government is not without problems, however. Just last week he fired several top officials, claiming they were Russian sympathizers. Whether they were or not is up for debate, but to say corruption no longer exists is simply not true.
Therefore, handing over $40 billion for supposed war costs without much oversight is very careless on the part of Congress in my opinion. The funding should be incremental, based on specific needs, and not simply a blank check from you and I. Yes most of us believe Ukraine is on the right side of this war. But many of us, including myself, believe there are limits as to the money and weaponry we can provide them.