Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko accused the Ukrainian government of doing too little to fight corruption in the country.
"You can ask this question (whether enough is being done to fight corruption) to any citizen and I'm sure everyone will answer: 'No,'" Klitschko told the German media group Funke newspapers.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has repeatedly announced a strict fight against corruption and misuse of funds in the state apparatus. Proof of success in this battle is also a prerequisite for his country's membership in the EU. Just a few days ago, the Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solsky resigned due to allegations of corruption. Ukraine's anti-corruption bureau accuses him of misappropriating state land for millions.
Regarding his contacts with Zelensky, Klitschko complained about the lack of cohesion among leading politicians in Ukraine: "Unfortunately, in this time of war, there is no unity among political forces," he pointed out. When asked if he had met with the president in the meantime to resolve the tension between the two, Klitschko said he had tried to do so dozens of times since the beginning of the war, because a lot depends on the capital.
"Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to meet Zelensky in person. There are probably other things to do. It is important to forget political ambitions in the current situation. To participate in political competition in such a situation is stupidity," added the mayor of Kyiv.
Klitschko reminded about the damage caused by Russian drones and called for more international support for air defense.
"We have a shortage of air defense systems. Citizens in Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv also need good protection. After two years of war, the damage in Kiev is enormous. The airstrikes damaged and destroyed more than 800 buildings, including almost 440 residential buildings. More than 200 people died in the airstrikes, including seven children. It was especially cynical in the winter of 2022/2023, when the Russian army tried to destroy the city's critical infrastructure. This is genocide. It is a horror to leave the largest city in Eastern Europe without water, electricity and heating," the mayor emphasized. /BGNES
