Final Word from Thursday, July 13, 2023
Foreign Min. Jan Lipavský told Právo that Ukraine belongs in Nato and the EU but that the war must end first and the conditions must be met. The EU, for its part, has many requirements in terms of the rule of law and the fight against corruption, he said, and he is sure that if the Ukrainian leadership is serious, it will work on the necessary reforms. He added that he is confident that the CR will be part of the reconstruction. Yuri Shvets, a former KGB agent who is now a U.S. citizen and a big supporter of Ukraine, spoke about the corruption issue in one of his recent Russian-language YouTube analyses. He said that he has studied Ukraine's defense procurement closely and that the two acquisition offices under the supervision of Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, don't put their country's defense needs first when asking for Leopards, F-16s or other weapons. They're most interested in the commissions or kickbacks, he said. It would be sad if the comparative advantage of Czech companies wanting to participate in the reconstruction were their experience with giving the customer what he wants in this respect. [ Czech Republic Pirates fighters tanks bribes ]
Glossary of difficult words
kickback - an illicit payment made to someone in return for facilitating a transaction or appointment;
procurement - the act of obtaining or procuring something; the act or occupation of acquiring military equipment and supplies;
commission - a sum, typically a set percentage of the value involved, paid to an agent in a commercial transaction.