Last week, hundreds of Ukrainians took to the streets across the country protesting a government move to slash the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.

Volodomyr Zelenskiy faced the first street protests against his presidency since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after he signed a controversial law that would curb the independence of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

Two days later, Mr Zelensky backtracked on the controversial changes after European officials warned the bill threatened to undermine Ukraine’s ongoing bid to join the union. Mr Zelensky also said he had “heard the public opinion”.

However, is this U-turn enough to end the controversy? And why did the Ukrainian president introduce the bill in the first place?

Today, on In The News, is Zelensky losing the trust of the Ukrainian people?

Irish Times eastern Europe correspondent Dan McLaughlin discusses the fallout from Ukraine’s anti-corruption scandal, relations between Zelensky and Donald Trump and the latest on the front line of the war in Ukraine.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. 

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