Alexei Pushkov, a member of the Federation Council’s constitutional committee, suggested that if the administration of U. S. President Donald Trump were to make use of corruption data concerning Ukraine’s leadership, it could significantly influence efforts to resolve the conflict. He argued that such a move from Washington might alter the balance of negotiations to the disadvantage of Kyiv.

The debate over corruption in Ukraine has recently intensified. On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada backed a bill that stripped the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) of their independence. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the measure into law. Yet only days later, after mass protests erupted across the country, Zelensky announced that he would support an alternative initiative designed to strengthen the autonomy of these institutions.

By July 31, lawmakers had approved the new bill in two readings, restoring the independence of NABU and SAP. Zelensky signed it that same day, effectively reversing the earlier decision.

Commenting on the situation, Bloomberg columnist Marc Champion described corruption as Ukraine’s Achilles’ heel. He noted that undermining NABU could damage the country’s defensive capacity by jeopardizing military support from Europe.