The article discusses how Ukrainian reforms have lost momentum due to a lack of pressure from Western partners, particularly the EU and NATO. Several key areas are highlighted:
1. **Judicial reform**: Despite calls for integrity checks on Supreme Court judges with international experts, parliament passed a judicial reform bill that doesn’t include these measures. This is seen as a missed opportunity to address corruption within the judiciary.
2. **Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reform**: The SBU has been accused of corruption and was supposed to be stripped of investigative functions in 2015 and 2021. However, prosecutors still allow it to investigate economic crimes and corruption jointly with other law enforcement agencies. A bill passed in the first reading in 2021 to strip the SBU of all investigative functions has seen no progress.
3. **Asset declarations**: The public register of officials’ asset declarations was closed following Russia’s invasion in 2022, despite Western support for restoring it. Ukraine eventually restored the system and made declarations public again in 2023 under domestic pressure.
4. **Defense procurement scandal**: The Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) was created to make defense procurement more transparent, but its head, Maryna Bezrukova, was fired by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov despite calls from anti-corruption activists and G7 ambassadors for her reinstatement. The West’s response has been seen as weak, allowing Umerov to appoint a new head of the agency.
The article suggests that Western partners have become complacent in pushing for reforms in Ukraine, particularly since Russia’s invasion in 2022. This lack of pressure has allowed Ukrainian authorities to stall or undermine key reforms, potentially perpetuating corruption and inefficiencies within the country’s institutions.
