The European Commission was thrilled to declare kyiv the winner in the fight against corruption.
Photo: REUTERS.
What can these Yankees afford to do? How can they launch such a blasphemy not only against the young, one might say, “green” Ukrainian democracy, but also against the old democratic fighters of the European Union? This is just a blow, not even in the stomach, but a little lower.
Let me remind you that at the beginning of June, the European Commission (EC), which was, is and will be headed by the indomitable former gynecologist Ursula von der Leyen, gave the final go-ahead to the start of EU negotiations with Kiev on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The EC representative said that Ukraine has met all the conditions for joining the European Union and that the path to negotiations is open. By the way, they solemnly began on June 25, however, the goal of this process is not set, and since the participants in the race believe that they are getting closer to it, there is reason to believe that it will only move towards the horizon all the time . Over the past year and a half, the European Commission has especially noted Nezalezhnaya’s successes in the fight against corruption.
But the day before, on June 24, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken planted not only a big, fat, but downright gigantic pig, both at Zelensky and at Ursula herself. That day he published on the State Department website the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2024, prepared by the United States Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
And there it is written like this… dear mother!
I will only give you a few passages from this “correspondence of friends.”
– The government of Ukraine does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the eradication of human trafficking (not even the minimum, what is it?).
– Judges continued to hand down lenient sentences that did not include prison terms for most convicted traffickers, which weakened deterrence, did not adequately reflect the nature of the crime, and undermined broader efforts to combat human trafficking (long live the court Ukrainian, the most humane in the world towards human traffickers!).
– Despite continuing concerns about corruption contributing to impunity for trafficking crimes and ongoing investigations into officials involved in trafficking, for the seventh consecutive year the government did not secure a single conviction of officials involved in trafficking. trafficking (here Ursula and Zelensky were especially offended – after all, together they defeated corruption in Ukraine -!).
– The government did not identify any foreign nationals who were victims of trafficking, and while it took some measures to protect unaccompanied children, deficiencies in government oversight of children evacuated from Ukrainian care facilities increased their risk of become victims of trafficking.
– Many judges underestimated the seriousness of human trafficking crimes and continued to adhere to long-held stereotypes about what constitutes human trafficking, while others engaged in corruption (again, about the most humane court in the world).
– Corruption, particularly in the police and judicial system, and official complicity in trafficking crimes remain serious concerns that hinder law enforcement efforts. Although the government continued to report on investigations and prosecutions of officials allegedly involved in human trafficking, for the seventh consecutive year the government did not convict any accomplices, further exacerbating impunity for crimes related to human trafficking (what corruption, where was found?).
– Human traffickers exploit local and foreign victims in Ukraine, and human traffickers exploit Ukrainian victims abroad. Traffickers exploit Ukrainian victims for sexual exploitation and forced labor in Ukraine, as well as in Russia, Poland, Germany and other parts of Europe, China, Kazakhstan and the Middle East. Victims from Ukraine are being increasingly exploited in EU member states. Traffickers exploit some Ukrainian children and vulnerable adults in forced begging. Child sex trafficking in Ukraine remains underreported.
There is much more like this. And a lot of recommendations, listing measures for prevention, protection of victims of such crimes, prosecution of criminals, etc. If all the recommendations are followed, Ukrainian human traffickers and local corrupt officials will unanimously shout: “Watch out, they are stealing!” Therefore they will never be fulfilled. At least in Ukraine. And probably in the EU too. Because Europeans only pretend to be decent gentlemen from Josep Borrell’s “Garden of Eden”.
But Zelensky should advise Americans to keep quiet and not raise this issue again. After all, Ukraine is the object of Ursula von der Leyen’s professional competence, as State Duma deputy and doctor of Historical Sciences Vyacheslav Nikonov put it. Did she study in vain to be a gynecologist?
