A document outlining strategy in Ukraine revealed that President Joe Biden's administration is concerned about corruption in the nation as the U.S. continues to back its war with Russia, Breitbart reported. A public version of the document published last month did not include that information, however.
The newly released portion of the document stated that "perceptions of high-level corruption [could] undermine the Ukrainian public’s and foreign leaders’ confidence in the war-time effort." It recommended to Ukraine "numerous steps" that it could take to fight corruption that could threaten its allies' support for the war.
U.S. officials have been quietly attempting to stop unscrupulous actors who threaten continued support for Ukraine in the conflict. Early last month, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Ukrainian organizations dedicated to stopping corruption, Politico reported.
Notably, part of the strategy previously released to the public did include the goal of "[d]eoligarchization, particularly of the energy and mining sectors, is a core tenet to building back a better Ukraine." One metric for success listed in the confidential version is making sure the Ukrainian government "embraces meaningful reforms decentralizing control of the energy sector."
The news outlet also spoke with an unnamed official who said the Biden administration would cut off future funding if the country doesn't implement "reforms to tackle corruption and make Ukraine a more attractive place for private investment." However, that would apply to the portion of funding sent for military expenses.
The problem for the Biden administration is that these issues threaten the appetite for continuing U.S. funding to the war effort. Duplicity can't be tolerated, but to publicly mention that would vindicate those opposed to forking over billions of dollars in American taxpayer dollars.
Some Republican lawmakers are already squawking at continued funding. If they're successful at backing the U.S. out of the conflict, European allies might follow suit.
Meanwhile, Biden continues to appeal for even more aid money for Ukraine. Since February, the U.S. has already promised $113 billion to fund the war, with the president now requesting another $24 billion.
Americans are increasingly viewing Ukraine as a money pit, and a recent report on "60 Minutes" on CBS confirmed that suspicion. The amount of aid sent to Ukraine equals 5% of the U.S. defense budget and has funded some cutting-edge equipment and technology.
However, it also includes spending on things other than weapons of war. "We discovered the U.S. government's buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers… and covering the salaries of Ukraine's first responders – all 57,000 of them," correspondent Holly Williams explained on the program on Sept. 24.
"That includes the team that trains this rescue dog – named Joy – to comb through the wreckage of Russian strikes looking for survivors. And the U.S. also funds the divers who we saw clearing unexploded ammunition from the country's rivers – to make them safe again for swimming and fishing," Williams went on.
Williams pointed out that the war has reduced "Ukraine's economy by about a third," which apparently justifies handouts of American taxpayer dollars. "We were surprised to find that to keep it afloat, the U.S. government is subsidizing small businesses like Tatiana Abramova's knitwear company," Williams said.
It's ironic that the administration is bending over backward to continue funding this war after Biden's disastrous pullout from Afghanistan. That move needlessly cost 13 American servicemen their lives in the name of ending the endless wars.
Now Biden has America into a fresh conflict, at least financially, while people at home are suffering because of his disastrous economic policies. This is already a tough sell, and news of confirmed Ukrainian corruption will only make it tougher.
