See no evil, hear no evil
From moral high ground to marked silence: the new US stance on Ukrainian corruption
A stark silence has greeted the corruption scandal tearing through Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle. Despite allegations of a $100 million kickback scheme and the resignation of two ministers, the usual chorus of American lawmakers demanding accountability has gone quiet.
This is a notable departure from the past, and the explanation lies not in Kyiv’s reformed governance, but in a fundamental shift in Washington’s role: from being Ukraine’s paymaster to becoming its energy salesman.
For years, Washington treated corruption in Kyiv as strategic leverage. The relationship was littered with stand-offs over misconduct, opaque business ties, and politically inconvenient investigations. In 2019, the Trump administration froze military aid, ostensibly over Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts, while simultaneously digging for dirt on Joe Biden.
The then-former vice-president had his own complicated history in Ukraine, from his son’s lucrative role at Burisma to his successful push to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin.
The point isn’t which side you believe; it’s that for years, Washington framed its support as conditional on credible reform and was willing to pull financial levers to enforce that view. This long record of moral scrutiny makes the current silence deafening.
Historically, these new allegations would have triggered lectures, aid delays, and a fresh round of conditionality. Instead, from the same political actors who once wielded corruption concerns, we hear nothing.
The reason for this newfound reticence becomes clear when you follow the money — or more specifically, the flow of American liquefied natural gas (LNG).
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