Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked six of his deputy defence ministers on Monday, September 18th, only two weeks after firing the minister himself, Oleksii Reznikov. There was no explanation given for the sackings, with new Defence Minister Rustem Umierov calling the decision a “fresh start”, and a source close to the Ministry saying “a complete overhaul is underway.”
Oleksii Reznikov was relieved from his duties two weeks ago amid accusations that he misappropriated Western military aid. He was accused of signing off on a deal with a Turkish company for winter uniforms that were ‘tripled’ in value. Another investigation alleged that the Defence Ministry had signed off on a food and catering contract that was hugely inflated.
Some experts believe Volodymyr Zelensky is clamping down on corruption in a bid to appease his partners in the European Union and NATO, but especially the United States, which so far has been the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine in its war against invading Russia. Some U.S. critics of the funding have said that reports of corruption were a reason to place stricter limits on military aid.
Republicans in the U.S. Congress are divided on whether to approve President Joe Biden’s request for $24 billion in additional spending for Ukraine. A recent poll published by CNN found that 71% of Republican voters say Congress should not authorise new funding, and 59% believe that their country has done enough to assist Ukraine. This is not surprising given that the frontrunners in the race to become Republican Party nominee in next year’s presidential elections are all sceptical of giving more military assistance: former President Donald Trump said opposing Russia is not in the U.S.’s strategic interest, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would make additional U.S. aid “contingent” on European allies increasing contributions; meanwhile, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy called it “disastrous” that the U.S. government was “protecting against an invasion across somebody else’s border” and argued Ukraine funding would be better spent on the “invasion of our own southern border.”
Military aid will most likely be on the agenda as Zelensky travels to the United States on Tuesday, September 19th, where he will speak before the 78th opening of the United Nations General Assembly, but most importantly, he will visit the White House. Zelensky is expected to shift the tone of his messaging after being criticised for scolding his allies and appearing ungrateful as he demanded more weapons from them. He also has some explaining to do as the Ukrainian army is not making major advances in its counteroffensive against Russia.
