Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had attended a meeting with the Ukrainian delegation in Florida earlier in the day. He assured that talks between the parties were “going well.” — Ukrainians have some problems. I think Russia would like the war to end. I know that Ukraine wants the end, he added.
When asked what problems he had in mind, he replied that “they have this situation with corruption, which doesn't help.” — I've been saying for three years that this is happening. Didn't I tell you? I spoke for three years. I was way ahead of schedule. But I think there's a good chance we can reach an agreement, he continued.
The article continues below the video
What did Donald Trump say about corruption in Ukraine?
What Ukraine's problems did Trump mention?
Who will meet with Vladimir Putin?
What consequences does the corruption scandal have for the head of Zelensky's office?
Corruption scandal in Ukraine
He informed that there is no deadline for Vladimir Putin regarding the peace plan. “Deadline will be when the war ends,” he noted.
According to Axios, Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet with Putin on Tuesday. Trump did not disclose the date of the planned meeting between envoys and the Russian leader.
The US Secretary of State described Sunday's talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Florida as “productive”, although he emphasized that “there is still much to be done.” According to the AP agency, the talks lasted about four hours.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the head of his office, Andriy Yermak, who is under investigation in the corruption scandal at the highest levels of power, resigned. He is under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in connection with an investigation into corruption under the code name “Midas”. The scandal, revealed by NABU and SAP (Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office), broke out at the beginning of November, and in the investigation files Jermak is listed under the pseudonym Ali Baba.
According to the findings of NABU and SAP, participants in the extensive corruption system in the energy sector collected bribes ranging from 10 to 15 percent from contractors of Enerhoatom, the state operator of nuclear power plants. contract values. Illegal means were to be legalized by the so-called back office in the center of Kiev, through which – as it was determined – approximately USD 100 million passed through.
