Zelensky accuses US firms of corruption

US corporate “corruption” and “lobbying” are to blame for Ukraine not receiving half the military aid it has been promised by Washington, Vladimir Zelensky has claimed.

Last month the Ukrainian leader stated that while the United States has allocated around $177 billion in support to Kiev since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, not all the funds or assistance packages have been delivered.

During his three-hour-long interview with podcaster Lex Fridman on Sunday, Zelensky claimed that Kiev has yet not received even half of the promised support.

Zelensky provided an example, stating that he’d appealed to Washington to be allowed to use Ukraine's own fleet of cargo planes to deliver aid to avoid paying transport fees.

“No. I didn't get this opportunity. My jets stayed put, and the US jets, cargo jets moved these weapons. But everywhere you have to spend money,” Zelensky said, adding that Kiev could have spent the money to buy more arms instead.

“Is this corruption or not? Or lobbyism?” he asked.

“You mean corruption on the part of US companies?” asked Fridman.

”Yes, making such decisions,” clarified Zelensky. He went on to claim that he has been reluctant to talk about such cases so as not to cause a scandal that could lead to a suspension of aid.

”When we talk about corruption, we must ask, who is involved? If we had 177 [billion] and if we get the half, where is the [other] half? If you find the second half, you will find corruption,” concluded Zelensky.

“Zelensky himself admitting that absolutely gigantic amounts of money have disappeared… in a normal media ecosystem [it] would be a scandal of enormous proportions,” French entrepreneur and commentator Arnaud Bertrand lamented in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, pointing to a lack of reporting on the issue in the media.

Zelensky has previously made statements critical of his Western backers, demanding more weapons and aid.

In September, he expressed frustration over delayed arms shipments, stating that such delays were causing Ukraine to lose ground to Russian forces.

In the Lex Fridman interview, Zelensky revealed that he had urged US President-elect Donald Trump to hand over the West’s $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons from the United States.

Moscow stated in response that Zelensky was “completely out of his mind,” and that his suggestion was proof of “deep-rooted corrupt ties” between the Ukrainian leader and the West.