Luke Cooper

Thanks Maxine - and I agree!

Good piece. It's a very fair message on Ukraine but I'd just emphasise the hypocrisy in terms of, "do what we say, not what we do" - which is staggering. I'm looking at you, UK.

EU warns Kyiv it will halt funding unless anti-corruption agencies’ independence is restored The European Union has delivered a warning to Kyiv via diplomatic channels, stating that if the Ukrainian parliament fails to fully revoke the provisions of law No. 12414, financial support will be…

EU threatens to cut aid to Ukraine unless independence restored to anti-corruption bodies.
Parliament to vote on issue on July 31.
www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

He argued that it was basically about US corporations making money, not real economic development. Ukraine's liberal allies have no version of this argument, a sign of how they cede this space to the radical right 🧵/ends foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

With bucketloads of hypocrisy the only person to break this taboo at the recent Ukraine Recovery Conference was: the Trump administration's Keith Kellogg. The speech was typically weird and Trumpian but did include a quite fair attack on the US record in Iraq and Afghanistan 🧵/8

To sum up, basically I argue that Ukraine's problem is similar to those that western states encounter: a reluctance to approach private corporate interests with any level of combativity and 'tough love' 🧵/7

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

From the perspective of a "national security state", the decision to sell UMCC, Europe's largest titanium producer to an Azerbaijani conglomerate is baffling. But there are also concerns about what happens to sanctioned and nationalised private assets, too 🧵/6 foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

Ukraine's current crisis appears to really be about growing scrutiny over how its political institutions are utilising wartime powers and the extent to which they are independent of private interests. The piece looks at both the nationalisation and privatisation programmes in this context 🧵/5

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

Drawing on @danielagabor.bsky.social's distinction between a national security state - which is directive towards industrial supply chains - and a derisking state, which limits itself to incentives, the piece argues for Ukraine to focus on developing the former 🧵/4 foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

The hope had been that the full-scale Russian invasion poses to Ukraine, creates an incentive to breakout of the problems of private capture of weak state institutions. So, the war creates a crisis-cum-opportunity for national economic development 🧵/3 foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

I place the crisis in the context of the push to "derisking", a terms that refers to mobilising public funds to reduce private investment risk. This is happening everywhere and reflects how capital is responding to increased crises + a low growth world 🧵/2 foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

Ukraine’s Cronyism Crisis Offers a Warning to the ‘De-risking’ World A series of scandals has put Kyiv’s public institutions under the microscope.

I have a piece on Foreign Policy, arguing that Ukraine's recent cronyism and corruption crisis is as much about the changing global order as it is Ukraine's own political-economic history.

🧵/1

foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/u...

🧵

Editorial: Zelensky just betrayed Ukraine's democracy — and everyone fighting for it Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated to reflect the fact Zelensky signed the bill into law on the evening of July 22, as shown on the Parliament's website. Last week, we warned of a coming ...

“Every true supporter of Ukraine in Western governments needs to signal to Ukrainian leadership that the backslide is noted and won’t go without consequences.” Another strong editorial from Kyiv Independent.

kyivindependent.com/editorial-da...

The Center for Civil Liberties calls on the President of Ukraine to veto Draft Law No. 12414 - Центр громадянських свобод The Center for Civil Liberties calls on the President of Ukraine to veto draft law No. 12414, which was adopted by Parliament today, July 22, in violation of parliamentary procedure. The draft law pos...

The highly respected Nobel prize winner (and fiercely patriotic) NGO, Centre for Civil Liberties, calls on Zelensky to veto law arguing that they “directly threaten the rule of law and respect for human rights”.

ccl.org.ua/en/claims/th...

EU Warns Ukraine Over New Law That Could Undermine Anti-Corruption Agencies European Commission highlights the importance of NABU and SAP for Ukraine's reforms, stressing the need for their independence amid recent legislative changes.

EU reminds Kyiv of the “conditions” necessary for its support but stops short of threatening to suspend flows of funds united24media.com/latest-news/...

This is a make or break moment for Ukraine’s allies. They simply can’t stand for this. They must demand the agency’s independence is restored.

Extraordinary scenes in Kyiv and Lviv tonight as young protestors defy martial law to protest against govt destruction of the independence of the country’s anti corruption agencies. First mass protest in Kyiv since martial law. This still from Ukraine Pravda video on X.

Ukrainian lawmakers vote to scuttle independence of anti-corruption agencies The EU says it is “concerned” about the Kyiv parliament passing the controversial bill.

"Ukraine’s parliament voted decisively Tuesday in favor of a bill that critics say fatally undermines Kyiv’s commitment to tackling corruption — and threatens to scupper its EU membership bid."

www.politico.eu/article/ukra...

Trump's UK state visit was just announced for 17 September.

💥💥💥 JOIN THE PROTEST!

Let's make it absolutely massive.

stoptrump.org.uk

Zwei Publikationscover: “Critical Raw Materials, Local Content Policy and Ukraine’s Economic Recovery” sowie “Post-war reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lessons for Ukraine”.

Heute geht in Rom die 4. #Ukraine Recovery Conference zu Ende. Zwei aktuelle Publikationen können für einen schnellen und nachhaltigen Wiederaufbau des Landes wertvolle Hinweise geben. #URC2025 1/4

Actually lol’ed! 🥰😎

😂

Wes Streeting is not the next leader of the Labour Party

Fell apart is putting it a bit strongly! But momentum were never really successful at recruiting the mass left leaning membership base. Agree on the soft left ofc!

Internal elections: Pro-leadership slate takes huge lead over left in nominations - LabourList Candidates on rival pro-leadership and left-wing slates are battling it out for nominations in upcoming internal Labour elections.

They clearly aren’t turning up at CLP meetings however with the right faction Labour to Win having a huge lead in nominations for upcoming NEC elections. This suggests if the members not coming to meetings, can be mobilised to vote, there cd be an upset on the cards.

labourlist.org/2025/06/news...

Interesting @labourlist.bsky.social poll here. Despite all the resignations and the talk of a “new left party”, the Labour Party membership appears to remain firmly to the left of the leadership with a clear preference for right leaning cabinet members to face the chop in a future reshuffle.

It's not looking good for Morgan McSweeney and Blue Labour www.ft.com/content/fee4...

this is why i am pretty confident there will not be a meaningful attempt to do an end run around mamdani. a lot of elite cuomo support seemed to be based on “well, he’s probably going to win and he’s a vindictive asshole and i don’t want to be on his bad side.”

Ukraine and Russia: who is winning on the economic front? Podcast Episode · Conflict Zone from the LSE · 25/06/2025 · 49m

I spoke to Maliek Banat for the LSE Conflict Zone podcast about which side is winning on the “economic front” in the Russo-Ukrainian War

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/c...

FYI
@ukrainesolidarity.bsky.social @ensu-resu.bsky.social
@alexsobel.co.uk @labourlewis.bsky.social