European Leaders Call on Zelenskyy to Reverse 'Power Grab' Amid Protests in Kyiv

European leaders put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday to reverse a contentious decision to weaken the powers of two anti-corruption agencies, as demonstrators took to the streets of Kyiv for a second day.

- Luke Harding

Ukraine's European backers, including Germany, France and Sweden, raised concerns about new legislation, which the Ukrainian president approved on Tuesday night. They warned it could hamper Kyiv's attempt to join the EU and hinder the fight against corruption.

The bill, endorsed by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on Tuesday, in effect places the agencies under government control. They are the national anti-corruption bureau (Nabu) and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office (Sapo).

Zelenskyy has defended the changes, saying they were needed to clean Ukraine's "anti-corruption infrastructure" of Russian connections. They give sweeping powers to the prosecutor general's office, which can now close down cases against top officials.

Yesterday, the president convened a meeting with the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies at his office in Kyiv. They had agreed to work constructively and to come up with a joint plan of action next week to strengthen Ukraine, he said.

But Zelenskyy did not directly address criticism from civil society activists, who accuse him of mounting a power grab and of failing to listen. Veterans, Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and other prominent

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has approved a contentious bill that critics say will weaken the country's fight against corruption.

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted to bring two independent agencies - the national anti-corruption bureau (Nabu) and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office (Sapo) - under effective government control.