During her visit to Ukraine over the past two days, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly raised the issue of corruption several times, including in meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials. Joly said it was important for Ukrainians to protect the values of democracy as they fight for freedom.
Zelenskyy, who was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform, fired a dozen high-level officials last month following the arrest of a deputy defence minister suspected of graft. Canada has since committed over $5 billion in various forms of support to Ukraine, including over $2.6 billion in assistance, over $1.2 billion in military aid, $320 million in humanitarian aid, an additional $96 million in development assistance, and over $68 million in security and stabilization programming.
In addition to speaking to Zelenskyy, Joly said she also raised the issue of corruption with the president’s top adviser, as well as Ukraine’s prosecutor general and Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko, who oversees the country’s police forces. Joly also spoke with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska about improving the response to conflict-related sexual violence, announcing the allocation of over $21 million to support organizations that address this issue.