Poland has been a long-time supporter of Ukraine, but it now has one party calling for a stop to all funding as evidence grows that much of that money has reportedly been siphoned away by alleged criminals.
The Confederation party has announced a draft resolution in the Polish parliament, the Sejm, calling on the Council of Ministers “to suspend financing Ukraine from Polish taxpayers’ money” due to the ongoing corruption scandals.
The party has specifically requested that Poland stop paying interest for Ukraine on its EU loans.
“The Sejm of the Republic of Poland is outraged by reports of corruption scandals in Ukraine and notes the discussion on the scale of corruption in Ukraine and attempts to limit the independence of anti-corruption services,” the draft resolution reads, as cited by Do Rzeczy.
Last week, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered a network of criminals who had created a corruption scheme aimed at influencing strategic public sector enterprises, particularly the energy company Enerhoatom.
The lead suspect who allegedly masterminded the scheme, Timur Mindich, is a close associate of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mindich fled to Israel last week just before his home was raided and police recovered stacks of cash, still with barcodes from U.S. banks. Also discovered in his apartment was a golden toilet, which has become a new symbol of the cronyism and corruption of the Zelensky regime.
Zelensky and Mindich were previously business partners, according to the Times of Israel, and the latter’s influence grew substantially ever since Zelensky took office in 2019.
According to investigators, the suspects allegedly collected bribes from the company’s contractors, amounting to 10 to 15 percent of the contract value.
The total amount of bribes paid is estimated to be approximately $100 million. Currently, seven suspects are under investigation, and five have already been detained.
Meanwhile, support for Zelensky has reportedly fallen below 20 percent, and at least one ally may be starting to break.
“The Sejm of the Republic of Poland, taking into account the huge corruption scandal in Ukraine, calls on the Council of Ministers to suspend financing of Ukraine from Polish taxpayers’ money, in particular to suspend the payment of interest by the Ministry of Finance for Ukrainian loans, which is based on the agreement concluded by the Polish government with the European Commission in May 2023,” the authors of Confederation’s draft resolution stated.
Last month, Confederation MP Grzegorz Płaczek requested clarification on what exactly Polish taxpayers are paying in relation to loans made by the European Commission to Ukraine.
The Polish Ministry of Finance informed him that in 2025, Poland plans to repay Ukrainian interest totaling over PLN 110 million, and in the following years, 2026-2027, Poland will continue to repay “similar amounts” on an annual basis.
“So, in a situation where our budget deficit and public debt have skyrocketed, we – Polish taxpayers – will be contributing to the repayment of Ukrainian debt for years? Has someone gone mad in this country? This is clearly anti-Polish action!” Płaczek said at the time.
“According to data from the Ministry of Finance, the cost of interest on the Ukrainian loans exceeds 100 million złoty (€24 million) annually and is expected to be borne for many years. We call for a halt to these expenses, especially when Poland itself is facing drastic budget problems,” they explained.
“The Sejm calls on the Ukrainian authorities to effectively fight corruption, carry out the necessary reforms and punish all those guilty of corruption crimes,” it added.
