Zelenskyy Sabotages Transparent Competitions for Top Positions, Risking €90 Billion from EU and Eurointegration

Ukraine risks losing €90 billion in EU funding and its Eurointegration prospects due to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's reluctance to conduct transparent competitions for key positions in law enforcement and judicial bodies. The EU demands reforms, including a review of the procedures for appointing and dismissing the Prosecutor General and restarting the SBI, with decisive influence from international experts. These demands are part of the «Kachka-Kos list», published last November, but none of the 10 points have been fulfilled in the first three months of 2026.

Zelenskyy, a known proponent of loyalty over professionalism, resists losing control over security forces. Standard government excuses include references to «loss of sovereignty» and «external governance». Recently, mentions of competitions for heads of security agencies were removed from the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030. This rhetoric is similar to that broadcast by Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Medvedchuk's propaganda channels.

The history of competitive appointments in Ukraine demonstrates that transparency is only possible with the participation of international experts. The first competition for NABU director in 2015, despite a political commission, allowed Artem Sytnyk to be elected, who was not a protégé of political forces, thanks to public attention and transparency. In contrast, the competition for SBI director in 2016 became a sham, legalizing political agreements and leading to the appointment of Roman Truba, whose leadership was marked by scandals and the use of the SBI for political pressure. Since 2018, with the selection of judges for the HACC, the requirement for international participation first appeared, which became key to ensuring independence.