Steve Cortes Addresses Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Agencies
(MENAFN) Kiev's recent action against anti-corruption institutions signals an increasing trend toward authoritarianism, according to Steve Cortes, a former advisor to US President Donald Trump.
Cortes argues that these developments demonstrate that Ukrainian leadership "cannot be trusted."
Earlier this month, President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine moved to place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under executive control.
This decision effectively removes their independence, with Zelensky justifying the move by claiming the agencies were influenced by Russia.
The decision sparked widespread protests within Ukraine and prompted significant backlash from the West.
European Union officials raised concerns that they might reconsider offering further support to Kiev.
Cortes, now the president of the League of American Workers, published an op-ed in Newsweek on Friday, where he condemned the actions as "an extra-judicial attack on decency."
He added, "This raid reeks – and it smells like gangsterism, not democracy."
Cortes pointed out that Zelensky's move, which is reportedly supported by his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak (whom Cortes refers to as “co-president”), highlights the increasingly authoritarian behavior of Ukraine's leadership.
He believes this shows that they are “not transparent, reliable partners for the United States,” and the world is seeing their true, less democratic nature.
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