Macron and the head of the European Council made desperate attempts to dissuade Zelensky from signing the NABU law – Financial Times

Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), despite personal appeals from French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President António Costa urging him not to do so.

This was reported by the Financial Times.

According to the publication, on Tuesday evening, Costa and Macron called the Ukrainian president in a “last desperate attempt to dissuade him.” However, the law was signed regardless.

Also on Tuesday, G7 ambassadors in Kyiv met with the heads of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office, urging them to “reconsider” the situation. In response, Vasyl Maliuk and Ruslan Kravchenko “tried to dispel Western concerns.”

“The ambassadors were locked in a room without their phones for more than two hours — a move that one diplomat described as an attempt to silence them and prevent them from informing their governments about the rapidly unfolding events in Kyiv,” the article states.

Meanwhile, criticism of the Ukrainian government’s actions toward anti-corruption agencies continues across the EU. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed serious concern about the situation with NABU. Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said, as reported by Politico, that “compromise on this issue is not possible.”

“President von der Leyen expressed her deep concern over the consequences of the amendments and requested clarifications from the Ukrainian government. Respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are fundamental principles of the European Union. As a candidate country, Ukraine must fully comply with these standards. Compromise is impossible,” Mercier said.

António Costa also expressed concern directly to Zelensky and demanded explanations, according to an EU official.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul posted on X on Wednesday that “limiting the independence of anti-corruption agencies hinders Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership.”

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský added that while Europe supports the Ukrainian people, “our support has never been and will never be a blank check for any government actions.”

Politico notes that for many months, “Ukrainian activists and opposition figures have been sounding the alarm over democratic backsliding in Ukraine,” but European officials largely chose not to respond publicly to these warnings.