During Zelenskyy's meeting with Blinken, corruption was discussed, which caused tension

The United States and its allies think that Ukraine is not doing enough to fight corruption. Ukrainian officials deny the allegations, saying they are fighting corruption "as fiercely as their troops are fighting russian occupiers on the front lines".

The United States and its allies believe this is still not enough. It is a source of growing tension between Kyiv and some of its biggest supporters, which poses a constant threat for additional economic and military aid.

A new corruption case is added to the string of high-profile arrests and dismissals almost every month. Ukraine says the cases are evidence of successful anti-bribery efforts. However, all of the defendants insist they are innocent and their cases have not yet gone to trial.

"The fact that the number of cases has doubled does not mean that there is twice as much corruption. On the contrary, it means we are working twice as efficiently as before", The Washington Post quoted the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, as saying.

But U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, say that's still not enough, with billions at stake in Ukraine's fight against corruption — not only its own tax money, but also Western military and economic aid.

Republican members of Congress have cited corruption as one of the reasons for obstructing the $61 billion aid package, even though there have been no direct allegations of misuse or misappropriation of U.S. money or weapons.

The Washington Post's sources said the meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Kyiv was tense — Zelenskyy was frustrated that Blinken focused on corruption issues.

Ukrainian officials complain that Western allies often use the stereotype of corruption in Ukraine as an excuse to delay needed aid, and that the accusation is not only a cliché but also evidence of "hypocrisy in capitals that have their own corruption problems".

In May, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called corruption a triple problem for Ukraine, emphasizing the country's European future.

Western allies have said that corruption is not just a cliché, but that the accusation is also evidence of hypocrisy in capitals that have their own corruption problems.