Polish Foreign Minister: We warned Zelenskyy against halting anti‑corruption efforts

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has said that the ministry has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to stop fighting corruption amid the situation surrounding the independence of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

"We told President Zelensky that the worst thing he could do now is to give up the fight against corruption. Ukrainians are fighting for an honest, European state," Sikorski said.

When and how this message was shared is unknown.

Zelenskyy emphasised that he did not want to jeopardise Ukraine's European integration amid issues created by the adoption of a law that made NABU and SAPO dependent on the Prosecutor General.

On 24 July, Zelenskyy submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) with regulations on the independence of NABU and SAPO. This occurred following mass protests, the first since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, and numerous criticisms from Ukraine's Western partners, who warned of risks to European integration and financial support.