This week, American auditors traveled to Kiev to monitor the military and financial assistance that the US offered to Ukraine throughout the war. Washington underlines that no instances of aid misuse have occurred as of yet. On January 29, inspectors from the Pentagon, the US State Department, and USAID (Office of Inspector General) were in Kyiv, as the deputy prime minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov revealed today. They talked with representatives of the Ukrainian government about the procedures for auditing American funding. The arrival of American inspectors is a crucial evidence that Ukraine is not trying to hide anything, as Hanna Hopko, the head of the National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”, highlighted to Ukrainian Radio
What did the American auditors come with?
“This is essential because American taxpayers support Ukraine in such extraordinary numbers. We initially obtained what the administration did not want to offer us for this reason. Trust is needed for additional support. The United States has systems in place to regulate the use of its military assistance for such purposes. The inspectors’ visit is a crucial statement that Ukraine is not concealing anything and that we engage with our strategic partners honestly and openly while providing them with access to all crucial aid-related documentation. to achieve wartime victory. We will need F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles in addition to the tanks we received to attack the military bases from which Russia is bombing Ukrainian key infrastructure and aiming its weapons at civilians. We have no doubts that Ukraine fulfills high norms of transparency, according to statements made by congressmen who visited the country in January of this year. The most crucial thing is that we need to get rid of the Russian propaganda and stories that keep making their way into Western media via paid experts who claim that we shouldn’t be trusted with NATO weapons. The delicate subject of technology transfer for the future is worth bringing up at this point. Since not all Western weapons came with management instructions. Now is the moment to take advantage of American inspectors’ trips and reports to get even more weapons and to persuade other allies that Ukraine needs their continued support”, – Hanna Hopko is certain.
To fight corruption in Ukraine, the Americans established a hotline. What signal is this?
Hanna Hopko believes that the phrase “Trust, but verify” is the correct general principle. “It is excellent that Ukraine has transparency in its anti-corruption campaign. Strong civil society and investigative journalism demonstrate that our democracy is genuine and not a façade, as it is in authoritarian regimes where it is impossible to uncover high-level official wrongdoing. It is essential that Ukraine develop institutional strength in addition to simply defeating russia militarily. We established a comprehensive network of anti-corruption law enforcement agencies following the Revolution of Dignity, including NABU, SAP, NAZK, the High Anti-Corruption Court, and the State Security Bureau. It follows that Western partners are interested in learning about these groups’ effectiveness. And in this case, there must be irreversibility of the punishment following transparency regarding the covering of corruption. This is vital. After all, assembling the National Security Council and expelling officials implicated in corruption scandals are both really positive things to do. However, we advocate for investigations, legal proceedings, and punishment for abuse of authority in line with Ukrainian law. That is, responsibility and irreversible punishment for such conduct are required when there is transparency in the reporting of corruption,” – Hanna Hopko underlines.
“Ukraine resells Western weapons to Africa and the Middle East,” according to speculations. How do these fakes affect our allies?
Even the most well-known Western publications have disseminated and subsequently rejected such rumors, the deputy remarked. “The fact that these weapons are NATO models and that they could reach the russians is a frequent counterargument. Even one of the German grounds for not supplying Leopard tanks was rejected: if the enemy were to capture the tanks, it would appear that he would possess the technology, and in addition, this would serve as “evidence” that NATO was engaged in hostilities in Ukraine. The Kremlin actively promotes the idea that NATO wants to obliterate russia in the global south and that Ukraine won’t be able to transport grain to countries in Asia and Africa. Russian propaganda is ruthless and unending; they will keep lying to destroy faith. Due to any corruption problems within Ukraine, we must prove that we are a true democracy and merit to be members of the EU and NATO in the future by openness, responsibility, and punishment. The G7 summit will be place in Hiroshima in May, it is vital to note. We hope that the Japanese Prime Minister will visit Ukraine prior to the summit and that President Zelenskyi will attend the G7 summit as a guest for the first time. With all the consequences, Hiroshima was the first city to be hit by an atomic bomb. To hasten our victory and explain to putin why he cannot be subjected to nuclear blackmail and why sanctions against his nuclear industry must be reinforced, Japan’s position as chairman of “Simka” is crucial. The entire globe must be mobilized to counter russian propaganda”.
Another propaganda narrative from russia “The West will not withstand further escalation… The time for negotiations has come”
The MP adds that these myths are quite hazardous. For example, it is quite costly for Western taxpayers. In other words, the war must end, but not with a Ukrainian victory.” Even more risky than charges of corruption is this narrative in the West. Despite the strong support that Western society have shown for Ukraine, Russia will use the following justification to encourage Western governments to put pressure on Ukraine: let’s terminate this war because armaments are expensive.” Hanna Hopko believes it is quite regrettable that they responded so belatedly and only after the journalistic materials to the realities of the abuses, which, in her opinion, the Ministry of Defense was already aware of. (The publication Zn.ua reported on January 21 of this year that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense allegedly paid two to three times more for food for military units stationed in some areas further from the front line than in stores in Kyiv. Instead, the Ministry of Defense stated that the claims made by Zn. ua in a journalistic investigation are false and without merit. The head of the Ministry of Defense’s procurement department, who served as the scandal’s public face, was let go. Anastasia Radina, the chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada’s anti-corruption committee, reported this on January 25.)
“It is crucial that American inspectors be present. I’m hoping this will lead to more interdepartmental conflict inside Ukraine. The level of interoperability with NATO will rise as a result. In the management sphere, it is vital to go through this transparency and accountability since, on the one hand, the Armed Forces do it on the battlefield. When both the government and the opposition use their parliamentary possibilities to rid Ukraine of corruption, not only in the legislative branch but also in our special services, the Moscow Patriarchate, etc., I would like to see the game of the “national team” in Ukraine. Although there is some skepticism, we must keep fighting. The purging of Ukraine of those who had betrayed our national interests will be one of our greatest successes”, – Hanna Hopko said.
