European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signalling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days.
"Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X on Sunday after a call with Zelenskyy.
After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskyy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing the course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy.
"We talked about the bill that guarantees the independence and effectiveness of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskyy said in a post on X after his Sunday call with von der Leyen.
"We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week."
Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership.
"Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added.
More sanctions on Russia
Separately, Zelenskyy signed a decree on Sunday to synchronise sanctions against Russia with those imposed by the EU.
The decree, which was posted on Ukraine's Presidential Office website, confirmed an earlier decision by the country's National Security and Defence Council.
The Ukrainian president signed another decree, which was also posted on the Presidential Office's website, imposing new sanctions on Moscow.
The signing of the two decrees comes after Zelenskyy instructed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha earlier this month to coordinate the 18th sanctions package adopted by the EU against Russia on July 18 "within Ukraine's jurisdiction."
