Leaked documents reveal how Biden’s administration feels about Ukraine. Politico, who was granted access to the document, says that it shows a much more serious attitude towards corruption in Ukraine than had been publicly expressed.
A confidential U.S. Strategy document obtained by POLITICO indicates that Biden administration officials have more concern about corruption in Ukraine than they admit publicly.
The “sensitive, but unclassified,” version of the U.S. long-term plan outlines numerous steps Washington takes to help Kyiv root out corruption and reform a variety of Ukrainian sectors. The document stresses that Western allies could abandon Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s invasion if corruption is rampant, and that Kyiv can’t put off its anti-graft efforts.
In a vacuum, there is nothing wrong with the document. Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine has had to deal with corruption. It is commendable that efforts are being made to curb this.
This is especially egregious because it is a different song from what is usually sung. Anyone who suggests that Ukraine has a corruption problem is usually shouted down and called a Putin lover. It’s bad for you to criticize Volodymyr Zelensky’s government but fine for Biden’s administration to do it behind closed doors.
The State Department released a version of the same document but with a few changes in September. It was missing any mention of the battle against Ukrainian corruption to keep the current alliances united.
This is a more stark analysis than that found in the public version of this 22-page document which was posted by the State Department on its website without fanfare a little over a month earlier.
The “Integrated Country Strategy”, which is the confidential version, is three times longer and contains more information about U.S. goals in Ukraine. These include everything from encouraging more schools to teach English to encouraging Ukraine’s military to adopt NATO protocol. The goal of many goals is to reduce the level of corruption in the country.
The Biden team faces a difficult task in communicating its message, as evidenced by the quiet release of its strategy and the fact that it left the strongest language to the confidential version.
The final sentence is the most important. The Biden administration cares more about the message than telling the American public the truth. Why? The truth could undermine the support for funding the proxy war.
Is this really the way things should be? I would say no, especially since so many people were maligned and criticized for saying what the Biden Administration is admitting privately. It is important to hold the Biden administration accountable for the massive amount of foreign aid and military assistance sent to Ukraine. The current administration cannot continue to speak out of both mouths about the real risks.
Ukraine is a country with a lot of corruption, so we need to be more vigilant in tracing every dollar that goes there. According to Politico, the report states that attempts to maintain pressure were stopped once the invasion started. Supporting Ukraine’s government without giving it a pass is possible, but right now the government gets a pass. The fact that we’re all being misled makes it even worse.
