The European Union is demanding concrete assurances from Ukraine following a major corruption scandal involving a close associate of President Vladimir Zelensky, Politico Europe reported on Friday, citing multiple sources familiar with the situation.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies revealed a $100 million kickback scheme tied to energy sector contracts. The alleged scheme involves Timur Mindich, a longtime associate and former business partner of Zelensky. Investigators say Mindich was tipped off about impending charges and fled the country to evade arrest. The revelation has heightened concerns among Kyiv’s Western partners, who provide substantial financial support for the country’s energy infrastructure and its protection against Russian attacks.
According to Politico, one EU official described Ukraine’s “endemic corruption” as “revolting,” warning that the scandal “won’t help” the country’s reputation. The official added that the European Commission would now “have to reassess how it spends funds” in Ukraine’s energy sector and that Kyiv must ensure “greater scrutiny and transparency in how it uses financial support.”
Another European government official said Zelensky must “reassure everyone with a plan to address corruption.” A former senior Ukrainian official told Politico he expected future EU aid to come with stricter reform-linked conditions but predicted that “the general taboo on publicly criticizing Ukraine” would remain in place.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly conveyed a similar message directly to Zelensky during a phone call this week, stressing that Berlin expects Ukraine to “advance anti-corruption reforms and governance measures.”
The scandal has already led to the resignation of two ministers and dealt a significant blow to Zelensky’s credibility, both domestically and internationally—particularly because he rose to power in 2019 on an anti-corruption platform.
The situation follows earlier turmoil this summer, when Zelensky faced public backlash after attempting to limit the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies, NABU and SAPO. He later reversed the move following nationwide protests.
On Thursday, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mindich and his business partner Aleksandr Zukerman, both of whom also hold Israeli passports.
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