Western diplomats in Kyiv were locked in as Zelensky cracked down on anti-corruption agencies — Financial Times

During a closed-door meeting in Kyiv, where initiatives to reduce the powers of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) were discussed, Western diplomats were effectively isolated from the outside world.

According to the Financial Times, representatives of Western countries attempted to voice their concerns about the Ukrainian government’s plans. However, their efforts were met with a restrained and non-committal response from Ukraine’s security leadership.

The meeting reportedly included Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Rather than providing clear answers to diplomats’ questions and objections, the officials merely tried to “dispel concerns” without offering any concrete explanations.

What particularly puzzled Western diplomats was the fact that they were held in the room for more than two hours without communication devices — all phones were confiscated upon entry. One participant described this as “an attempt to silence” them and restrict their ability to immediately report back to their governments about the developments in Kyiv.

According to FT sources, the initiative to limit the independence of NABU and SAPO is seen in Western capitals as a troubling signal of potential backsliding from Ukraine’s anti-corruption agenda. This situation raises serious concerns given the ongoing international support for Ukraine amid war and reform efforts.