US denies misuse of US aid to Ukraine — RT World News
Washington will continue to work with Kyiv and other partners to fight corruption in the country, Treasury Department says
The US Treasury Department said there was no evidence that money provided to kyiv by Washington was being misused in the country’s conflict with Russia.
Reuters raised the issue on Tuesday following a corruption scandal in Ukraine last week that led to the sacking of several senior officials. Among them were the deputy head of the office of President Vladimir Zelensky, several deputy ministers and heads of regional administrations, as well as deputy prosecutor general Aleksey Simonenko.
“We have no indication that US funds were misappropriated in Ukraine,” said Treasury spokeswoman Megan Apper. “We commend the continued efforts of Ukrainian authorities to work with us to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that U.S. assistance reaches those for whom it is intended.”
However, Apper stressed that Washington would continue to work with the World Bank to monitor US financial aid programs. “to confirm that they are being used as intended, as well as with Ukraine and other partners to fight corruption.”
US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have previously praised the Kyiv government for leading the purge. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it was “a decisive moment for Ukraine”, while his Democratic counterpart Richard Blumenthal described the layoffs as proof that Zelensky was truly keeping his promise that “There will be zero tolerance of fraud or waste.”
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley expressed concern during a hearing on Thursday that corruption in Ukraine could be “a kind of cancer that is eating away at the support they need from everyone in the world”, but the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, assured him that would not happen.
In a video address on Wednesday, Zelensky warned that the wave of layoffs among the country’s top officials was not over.
“Now there is a certain lull in personnel decisions. But this does not mean that all the necessary measures have already been taken. There will be more decisions. Those in the system who do not meet the basic requirements of the state and society should not get used to their chairs. he said.
On Monday, the RBC-Ukraine news agency reported, citing unnamed sources, that eight Ukrainian government ministers were at risk of losing their jobs and could well be fired later this month.
You can share this story on social media:
RT
