Leaked U.S. Strategy on Ukraine: Corruption is a Real Threat

Tough language in classified files is not a good sign

Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash

Biden administration officials are far more worried about corruption in Ukraine than they publicly admit. This is suggested by a confidential U.S. strategy document obtained by POLITICO.

The little-noticed public version of the 22-page document was published on the official webpage of the U.S. State Department more than a month ago. The document consists of four sections and contains the main outlines of American policy in Ukraine. The confidential version of the “Integrated Country Strategy” is about three times as long and contains many more details about U.S. objectives in Ukraine, from privatizing its banks to helping more schools teach English to encouraging its military to adopt NATO protocols. Many goals are designed to reduce the corruption that bedevils the country.

Source of image: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ICS_EUR_Ukraine_29AUG2023_PUBLIC.pdf

The quiet release of the strategy, and the fact that the toughest language was left in the confidential version, underscores the messaging challenge facing the Biden team. Joe Biden’s administration wants to force Ukraine to end graft, not least because U.S. dollars…