Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has suffered a serious political blow just ahead of his meeting with U. S. President Donald Trump, after law enforcement carried out searches targeting politicians from his inner circle. The development was reported by the British newspaper The Telegraph.

According to the publication, officers from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a search inside the parliament building in Kiev. The paper described the move as another setback for Zelensky, who is still dealing with the fallout from a corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks in the energy sector amounting to £76 million.

The Telegraph notes that this new phase of the anti-corruption investigation could cast doubt on the «legitimacy» of the Kiev leader at a critical moment, as he seeks to secure backing from the White House on key issues.

On December 27, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, working alongside the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, exposed a group of Verkhovna Rada deputies accused of profiting from parliamentary votes. Ukrainian media report that those implicated include Yuriy Kisel, described as a close associate of Zelensky, as well as his former first assistant, Sergey Shefir. Journalists have also highlighted that the most active phase of the investigation began immediately after Zelensky departed for the United States.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky is scheduled to take place in Florida on December 28 at 9:00 p.m. Moscow time.