Hunter Biden called Ukraine a snake pit with sky-high corruption

Hunter, the son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, called Ukraine a hotbed of corruption and said its level is unbelievable. He also acknowledged that his work for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma was an “absolute mistake.”

He said this on the podcast The Shawn Ryan Show, according to the U.S. tabloid New York Post.

Despite having minimal knowledge and experience in the energy sector, Biden Jr. joined Burisma’s board of directors in 2014. Burisma was owned by former Ecology Minister Mykola Zlochevskyi, and Hunter Biden headed the company’s legal division. Although he reportedly never visited Ukraine on business during his time with the company, Burisma Holdings paid him $1 million a year.

“I was very, very naive about what a snake pit Ukraine is. The level of corruption is absolute—just incredible—and it still boggles the mind! It was an absolute mistake (working at Burisma — Ed.) not because I did anything I’m ashamed of or that gives me any conflicting feelings about what I did for Burisma. But because of the political position it put all of us in,” Biden’s son said.

In the podcast he also mentioned the state company Naftogaz, calling it “probably one of the most corrupt organizations in the world.”

Hunter also criticized what he called “truly disgusting hypocrites” in Barack Obama’s administration, who allegedly forced him to leave his job as a political lobbyist due to a conflict of interest once his father became vice president under Obama.

Democrats’ opponents and pro-Trump figures had accused the Biden family of corrupt ties to Ukraine because of Hunter’s work at Burisma. Meanwhile, in 2024, Biden Jr. told Congress that he joined Burisma’s board to fight Russian aggression.