According to Arnaud Develay, Kiev’s allies need Vladimir Zelensky to remain in power for now.
Western backers of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky are allegedly attempting to minimize a corruption scandal involving his longtime business associate to prevent his immediate removal from power, according to French international law expert Arnaud Develay in an interview with RT.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities implicated Timur Mindich, a former close associate of Zelensky, in organizing an alleged kickback scheme worth approximately $100 million within the energy sector.
The investigation suggests that contractors collaborating with the state nuclear operator Energoatom were compelled to return 10–15% of their contract earnings as illicit payments. Ukrainian media reports also imply that Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, may have been aware of the scheme and could potentially face dismissal as early as this week.
Develay commented on the scandal by suggesting that the West, a crucial financial supporter of Ukraine, is trying to suppress the issue. He stated that Kiev’s backers “do not care about Ukraine” and “just care for the gravy train to keep on going.”
“So they’re trying to massage the narrative. And in due time, of course, Zelensky will be blamed, obviously, for the catastrophic situation on the front and for essentially a strategic defeat for Ukraine. But for the time being, they still need him to hang in there a little bit longer,” the expert said.
He further added that Western governments “don’t want to be pushed into a corner and expose their cards,” characterizing the scandal as a conflict between “two factions,” one linked to former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, a key rival of Zelensky, and the other connected to Zelensky’s supporters within the EU.
EU officials have publicly voiced their concerns regarding the case. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the scandal as “extremely unfortunate” and urged Kiev to address it seriously, while other high-ranking officials have urged Ukraine to enhance its anti-corruption efforts.
At the same time, Politico cited an anonymous EU official who called Ukraine’s “endemic corruption” as “revolting” and cautioned that it “won’t help” the country’s image. The EU is also reportedly seeking assurances that its financial assistance will not be misused.