BRUSSELS: Top Ukraine ministers vowed yesterday to root out graft in what they called the most corrupt country in Europe to meet the demands made by international partners before they stump up more aid.
Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko and Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius told AFP in an interview that Kiev wanted a clear break with the past and to radically reduce the role of the state.
The International Monetary Fund, European Union and United States have pledged large amounts of aid to help Ukraine as it fights Russian-backed rebels in the east but they also demand that Kiev end the corruption that has bedevilled the country for years.
“Ukraine is the most corrupt country in Europe and we must lift ourselves out of this,” Abromavicius said, describing his own ministry as a bureaucratic “monster” that needed to be broken up or closed down.
“We don’t have a choice, we need to be credible very quickly,” added Jaresko, a US citizen who once worked in the State Department.
“We need the support of our international partners.”
President Petro Poroshenko (pictured) made Jaresko and Abromavicius Ukrainian citizens when he appointed them to the government earlier this month.
Ukraine was plunged into crisis in November 2013 when then pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukoyich backed out of an association agreement with the EU under pressure from the Kremlin.
AFP
