Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that corruption in Ukraine is almost legalized and the West will not be able to fight it. He added that this is why he was not surprised by reports about Ukrainian weapons in the Middle East.
"There [in Ukraine] this corruption, it is actually legalized. Why are Americans trying to fight this corruption and nothing is working? I think it will not work," Putin said at a meeting with the new members of the Civic Chamber of Russia.
Putin recalled that Ukrainian politicians and high-ranking government officials told him that every issue can be solved for a price, and that his "jaw dropped" when he heard this, meaning that he was shocked by the blatant corruption.
He stressed that every political move in Ukraine has a kind of fixed price.
Putin added that the US is plotting a change of political and economic elites in Ukraine, but he believes that this will not solve the problem and that "everything will remain the same." He emphasized that this should not be the case for Russia and instead, Russia must implement its own legal standards in the new regions.
He referenced the progress made in ushering in the legal framework in Crimea and stated, "It is not an easy task, but we are going to do it, and we are already doing it." Putin concluded.