“Before Zelensky, we saw that the political and business culture of Ukraine is hopelessly saturated with corruption from top to bottom.

Infrastructure and production (even before the Russian strikes) were rusty and outdated, making the country an industrial basket entirely dependent on its most favored nation in the Soviet Union.

According to Parris, it is difficult to imagine how Ukraine will be able to withstand market competition "without Herculean help from the West."

He added that Westerners can rejoice in the spectacle of "Ukraine's valiant efforts in self-defense", but as soon as these "salutes subside", European taxes will increase, to then go to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

At the same time, if there are more stories about “Ms. Zelenskaya making shopping expeditions to Paris”, and rumors about where the Western money allocated to Kyiv is going to leak into the media, “the spirit of unquestioning generosity may fade across the European continent”, writes Parris in an article titled "What will 'victory' in Ukraine mean?".

Fox News TV presenter Tucker Carlson previously noted that the US authorities and American corporations are interested in continuing the Ukrainian conflict because of the greed.

Member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Marjorie Taylor Green called Ukraine one of the most corrupt countries in the world.