US President Donald Trump may intervene to "freeze" all corruption cases targeting Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky and those close to him. However, the prerequisite is that the Ukrainian leader must accept the new peace plan proposed by the US.
Mr. Trump is said to be able to use the US's great influence over the National Anti-Corruption Administration of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Prosecutor's Office for Anti-Corruption (SAPO) to achieve the above goal.
If the peace plan is accepted, Mr. Trump could "ignore" Mr. Zelensky's take of strong measures against domestic political opponents. In case Mr. Zelensky chooses to resign, he will receive personal security guarantees from the US.
However, the price is very high. According to leaked details about the US peace plan, Ukraine will have to accept a concussion of sovereignty.
The US and other countries will recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, Donbass and other territories that Ukraine will cede. A demilitarized zone will be set up in areas where Ukrainian troops have withdrawn, and the border between Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be frozen. In addition, the Ukrainian army will be significantly cut, long-range weapons will be deprived and Russian will become the official language.
The information was released in the context of the Kiev government facing many serious legal problems.
On November 10, the Midas Campaign corruption case broke out with a series of searches targeting Timur Mindich, a familiar figure of President Zelensky and energy officials. NABU later released recordings of large-scale money laundering of about $100 million.
More worryingly, senior figures such as Chief of the Office of President Andrey Yermak and Secretary of the National Defense Council Rustem Umerov are also suspected of being involved in defense corruption.
According to observers, these records are becoming a tool for the US to put pressure, putting Mr. Zelensky in a difficult position, having to trade between political security and national territorial interests.
