The $1.7 billion reduction capped a tough week for President Volodymyr Zelensky as he deals with Ukraine’s governance issues.

Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to sign a bill targeting the independence of anti-corruption agencies followed mounting investigations that involved high-ranking officials and those close to the president.

Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainians swamped the streets of Kyiv in protest of their president’s betrayal of democracy, forcing Zelensky to introduce new legislation reversing the bill he had just signed into law.

Ukraine’s president ran on a promise to clean things up, but critics say his government is cracking down on anti-corruption activists, critics and agencies.

The policy reversal follows Ukraine's parliament passing a law that subordinates the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to the Prosecutor General.

Ukrainians hit the streets to protest a new law that grants the president control over investigations.

The president has defended the move as a necessary step to rid the two agencies of “Russian influence” and to address why some cases have been stalled for years.

President Zelensky held separate phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, discussing anti-corruption, defense, and EU integration.