Ukraine’s new prime minister said she’s likely to seek more financing from the International Monetary Fund as she sets out to shore up the nation’s fiscal needs with no end in sight to russia’s war.
Yuliia Svyrydenko, a 39-year-old ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky who became Ukraine’s second female head of government last week, laid out the budget squeeze in stark terms. Global donors have so far earmarked only half of the estimated $75 billion that the war-strained budget requires over the next two years, she said.
In particular, with the IMF loan program worth about $16 billion set to expire in 2027, the uncertainty over the duration of the war is likely to lead to discussions of a new plan during the lender’s review next month, the premier said.
In the interview, Svyrydenko sought to play down the issue of corruption, citing polls showing that while a large majority believe graft is widespread, far fewer have encountered such activity.
“To be frank, within Ukrainian society and certain social groups, the issue is being amplified and overemphasized,” the premier said. Outside observers, on the other hand, “assess Ukraine based on different metrics,” she said.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-22/ukraine-s-new-premier-is-preparing-to-seek-a-fresh-imf-programWell, okay. Maybe she personally didn't take bribes, or maybe she just wasn't given any. Or maybe she just says what she has to say.
But this is too painful a topic for the people, which can be used and is already being used to attack the authorities. In Kyiv, on July 22, citizens gathered for a protest after the adoption of a bill that effectively eliminates the independence of the anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAPO.
https://hromadske.ua/kyyiv/248465-u-kyyevi-liudy-zibralys-na-aktsiiu-proty-zakonoproyektu-shchodo-nabu-ta-sapThe Verkhovna Rada hastily passed a law that effectively transferred control over anti-corruption bodies into the hands of the Prosecutor General, who, as Volodymyr Zelensky himself once admitted, is "100% his man." Although in the spring of 2019, then-presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky promised "maximum state support for the newly created anti-corruption bodies and the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court to effectively fulfill their tasks."
Some suggest that the trigger was the recent indictment of the minister, and suspicions could soon be cast on the next people close to the president.
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c4gk1nqp7w9oIn the evening, the parliament's website became inaccessible for viewing the details of the bill due to "technical work."
https://24tv.ua/ne-mozhna-glyanuti-ye-pidpis-zelenskogo-sayt-radi-lig-roboti_n2876385The European Commission believes that the decision of the Ukrainian people's deputies to adopt a law on reducing the powers of the NABU and the SAPO is a serious step backwards, citing European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. She recalled that independent bodies such as the NABU and the SAPO are important for Ukraine's path to the EU.
https://x.com/MartaKosEU/status/1947663547233710152Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, together with the head of the SSU, Vasyl Malyuk, and the director of the State Bureau of Investigation, Oleksiy Sukhachev, were forced to provide explanations to the G7 representatives.
https://sud.ua/uk/news/publication/336682-ruslan-kravchenko-i-vasiliy-malyuk-vo-vremya-vstrechi-s-predstavitelyami-stran-g7-obsudili-sobytiya-vokrug-nabuThe Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Semen Kryvonos, and the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, announced on July 22 that they too may become subjects of criminal proceedings. According to Oleksandr Klymenko, the NABU and SAPO have already appealed to the embassies of the EU, the US, and the IMF with a request to respond to the situation surrounding the anti-corruption bodies.
https://sud.ua/uk/news/publication/336677-mi-mozhemo-stati-nastupnimi-za-nami-tezh-mozhut-priyti-kerivniki-nabu-ta-sap-zvernulisya-do-yes-ssha-ta-mvf-po-dopomoguWell, this is getting interesting. On the one hand, for Ukrainian business, all these law enforcement agencies and how and what they did looked about the same, but it turned out that they are not ready, that they will be treated in the same way as they recently did with others. On the other hand, perhaps they were truly independent of the government and got too close to it, which makes them a necessary evil.
It is interesting what the reaction of the president, who can veto this law, will be, provided that he himself is not involved in criminal cases that pose a threat to top corrupt officials.
All this constantly reminds me of President Yanukovych's regime, which ended with the Maidan and his flight to russia.
Today I visited the IV Business & Legal Infrastructure Forum. I wouldn't say that this topic was very interesting to me, but the organizers offered free participation and it was held not far from the office. There were few people and the speakers stated the facts that there are very few infrastructure projects as a part and basis of the global recovery of Ukraine. If the energy sector is being restored at the expense of money from foreign donors, then private business is not going to go to Ukraine even despite tax benefits and simplified procedures.
https://pravo.ua/iv-business-legal-infrastructure-forum-zavershyvsia-obhovorenniam-innovatsiinoi-infrastruktury/
