Interventionist politicians like Lindsey Graham and Joe Biden constantly positioned U.S. support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “fight for democracy” against autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But do our supposed allies in Kyiv deserve such flattery?
Recent actions suggest that Zelensky and his effective co-president, Andriy Yermak, act in very authoritarian ways themselves—and increasingly reveal to the world that they are not transparent, reliable partners for the United States.
Corruption remains entrenched in Ukrainian politics and governance, starting at the very highest levels of the administration in Kyiv. Just this week, the office charged with fighting and prosecuting corruption was raided in an extra-judicial attack on decency and due process. This raid reeks—and it smells like gangsterism, not democracy.
Given these tactics, it is no wonder that Americans increasingly realize that sending $175 billion of borrowed money to corrupt leaders in Ukraine is just not sound policy. In fact, sending mountains of borrowed funds to kleptocrats actually harms America’s national security, all while making our country poorer.
Perhaps for these reasons, Americans now display a new preference for disengagement from the Ukraine-Russia war. A 62 percent majority of Americans now say that America should disengage from the war if the two parties cannot find a peaceful resolution, now that President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to demand direct talks between the governments of Zelensky and Putin. Even among Democrats, 45 percent support such disengagement. Among young Americans aged 25-44, a stunning 69 percent favor disengagement.
Those numbers have risen dramatically for two primary reasons. First, the war has reached a seeming stalemate, compelling a negotiated solution rather than massive new American spending. Second, U.S. citizens are becoming more aware of the disreputable actions of the officials receiving the aid.
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Regarding that deserved disrepute, the specifics of this new raid are startling. The offices of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) were invaded and searched by security services loyal to Yermak and Zelensky. Notably, the NABU raids did not bother to get a court warrant for these harsh, guns-drawn incursions into the NABU offices.
That fact alone should shock anyone who cares about transparency and the structured rule of law. The flimsy pretense for the raid was that some NABU officers had been involved in traffic accidents and violations. Naturally, many skeptics wonder if the actual goal was to intimidate NABU officials who investigate very senior government officials.
For instance, the NABU recommended that Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov be removed from his key government position and required to post a large bail payment during the investigation of his alleged personal and official corruption. But, Chief of Staff Yermak refused to fire this embattled official, who continues to operate under a shadow of suspicion.
In a statement from the NABU to the Ukrainian media, the anti-corruption investigators pointed out that the state security service raids “may gain access to information about NABU and [the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office] ongoing and planned operational measures and investigative actions. Disclosure of this information could compromise investigative operations and ongoing cases.”
Even the normally very pro-Zelensky G-7 issued a harsh statement regarding the NABU raids: “We met today with NABU, have serious concerns, and intend to discuss these developments with government leaders…. We all have a shared commitment to support transparency, independent institutions, and good governance.”
For Americans, ever since Zelensky came to our capital in a t-shirt and condescendingly lectured President Trump in the Oval Office, the true nature of Kyiv’s leaders has become clear. Now, more Americans can move past the PR lies that tried to lionize him, and see the harsh reality of Ukrainian corruption.
Even if these Ukrainian leaders were angels, Americans should still demand an end to the war via sensible negotiations. The American people have been unbelievably generous, but our patience is wearing thin and our budgetary accounts run red with deficits. In this case, given the latest tactics and optics of the Zelensky/Yermak regime, it becomes ever clearer that these counterparts cannot be trusted.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, plus a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
