Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new draft bill on Thursday aimed at combating corruption, in an effort to quell protests sparked by a controversial law that critics say undermines the independence of two key anti-graft bodies.
The contentious legislation was passed on Tuesday, meant to give the country’s chief prosecutor oversight over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Ukraine’s leader sought to portray the move as positive, claiming it would lead to quicker investigations, more convictions and less “Russian influence”.
However, in the first major demonstrations since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of cities including Kyiv on Wednesday to voice their opposition to the government’s actions.
In an attempt to placate protesters, Zelenskyy changed course on Thursday by saying a new anti-graft bill would be brought before parliament later that day.
The president claimed in a Telegram post that the draft bill “guarantees the real strengthening of the law and order system in Ukraine” and the “independence of anti-corruption bodies”.
“It is important that we maintain unity,” Zelenskyy added.
As well as causing protests at home, the vote in Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday also generated unease in the EU, which Kyiv aspires to join.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said it was a “serious step back”, adding that the NABU and the SAPO were “essential” for Ukraine’s path towards becoming a member of the bloc.
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also condemned the parliament’s decision, saying it damaged trust with international partners.
Zelenskyy’s U-turn comes the day after negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks, which were brief and did not yield a significant breakthrough.
Ukraine’s internal problems have coincided with an increase in Russian aerial bombardments of Ukrainian cities.
On Thursday morning, Russian planes dropped two glide bombs on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, injuring at least 37 people, according to the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
