Ukraine 'not exactly the good guys' as 'stealing and corruption' threatens EU membership

Ukraine flag stands next to a European Union flag

Ukraine’s record of “stealing and corruption” will be hard to “wash out”, a Ukrainian interpreter has claimed.

The interpreter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, suggested that the war-torn country must clean up its act before the European Union will consider making it a member of the bloc.

Earlier this month, the EU’s executive arm recommended allowing Ukraine to open membership talks once it addresses governance issues that include corruption, lobbying concerns, and restrictions that might prevent national minorities from studying and reading in their own languages.

The first requirement may prove to be the most elusive. To understand why, a brief history lesson is needed, the Ukrainian interpreter says.

Ukraine soldiers take cover in a trench

They explained: “Never paint the Ukrainians as good guys. We’ve had to survive.

“The former Soviet Union tried to starve us to death.”

This has instilled an ethos of getting one’s hands dirty to make ends meet, they went on.

“We are used to the black market. We’re used to stealing, we’re used to corruption. And it’s going to be some time before that gets washed out.”

Ukraine soldier stands next to artillery fire

The interpreter added: “We won’t be able to join the European Union any time soon because frankly there is a lot of corruption around.

“And it will take a while for that to wash out. Just don’t paint it as the good guys versus the bad guys.”

Ukraine has been dogged by allegations of corruption even as war rages inside its borders.

In August, Express.co.uk exclusively revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired all of his regional chiefs within the country’s military recruitment offices after uncovering numerous cases of abuse of power among them.

The country’s regional army chiefs bought luxury cars and properties in Spain while their countrymen died on the frontlines, a former advisor to the Ukrainian Parliament revealed.

This led to the blanket firing of Ukraine’s regional military recruitment chiefs by President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Mykola Volkivskyi.

A month later, a survey by two Kyiv pollsters found that 78 percent of Ukrainians hold Zelensky accountable for government corruption.

A related poll found that 55 percent believe Western military aid should be conditional on fighting corruption.