Trump may not notice Ukraine’s anti-corruption law changes — international affairs expert

International affairs expert Maksym Nesvitailov shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“Ukraine is a sovereign country and can make certain decisions independently, but we must remember that during wartime we heavily rely on our partners’ support. We understand that military aid will continue, but, for example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development sent Ukraine a letter yesterday stating that this could affect future defense investments and investments in the country’s recovery,” Nesvitailov noted.

According to the international relations expert, even if this law doesn’t harm Ukraine’s aid, it certainly won’t help strengthen it.

“Of course, the current U.S. administration led by Donald Trump might not even notice this. It could be sold to them as just another agency created by the Democrats. But we must remember that Donald Trump won’t be around forever. These are the kinds of reputational moves that are remembered,” Nesvitailov said.

The international affairs expert also noted that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office did need reform. Changes were necessary, and their efficiency had to be improved.

“That’s all true, of course, but this is not how it should have been done — not like it was done yesterday. Our partners are not blind — they see all of this,” Nesvitailov emphasized.

Background

On July 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill passed by the Verkhovna Rada that includes provisions limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), placing their activities under the authority of the Prosecutor General.

The bill’s status card was updated three times: initially marked as signed by the president, then the note disappeared, and later the signature of Zelenskyy reappeared.

The bill in question, No. 12414, introduces changes to the Criminal Code. Proposed amendments would give the Prosecutor General the authority to:

• remove cases from NABU and assign them to other agencies;
• act as the de facto head of SAPO and delegate its powers to other prosecutors;
• issue binding written instructions to NABU detectives;
• unilaterally close investigations involving top officials.

The amendments also restrict the operations of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Specifically, SAPO prosecutors will, in certain cases, be unable to determine whether a case falls under NABU’s jurisdiction. The SAPO head will lose the authority to resolve jurisdictional disputes over cases that NABU could investigate and will no longer have the power to amend appellate or cassation complaints submitted by SAPO prosecutors.

Following the bill’s signing, President Zelenskyy stated that NABU and SAPO would continue their work and that the Prosecutor General is committed to ensuring real accountability.

After the vote in the Verkhovna Rada, thousands of Ukrainians in major cities held peaceful protests, demanding that the president veto the law that significantly limits the powers of the anti-corruption agencies.