Anders Åslund, Swedish-American economist, diplomat, leading international expert on the national economies of Ukraine, Russia, and former USSR countries, stated this in an interview with Espreso TV."It's telling – the loudest accusations of corruption against Ukraine come from those who themselves have serious problems in this area. First and foremost, it's Putin, who constantly reproaches Ukraine for corruption, even though Russia ranks 154th out of 180 in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index. Ukraine, on the contrary, shows progress: over the last decade, it has risen from 142nd to 105th place. This is still far from an ideal indicator, but progress is obvious," he said.Åslund noted that another frequent critic is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán."According to Transparency International, Hungary has fallen below Bulgaria and Romania, becoming the most corrupt country in the European Union. So, the most corrupt states often criticize Ukraine the loudest – not because they care about its development, but because they want it to remain weak and corrupt," the economist stated.He emphasized that these narratives are increasingly heard in the United States as well."Tucker Carlson, a far-right commentator with a clear pro-Russian stance, most actively repeats these theses. You probably remember how he traveled to Moscow, recorded a four-hour interview with Putin, and enthusiastically described how 'wonderful' Moscow is. Honestly, many would prefer him to have stayed there. There truly is a pro-Putin, pro-Russian faction in the Republican Party, quite vocal and influential. These very politicians helped Trump block all American aid to Ukraine," the diplomat noted.According to Åslund, their influence is not decisive on the scale of the entire United States."In Europe, two countries truly stand out that consistently take a negative stance on Ukraine: Hungary and Slovakia under Robert Fico's government, although in the latter case, the situation seems less clear-cut. Now, a third government is joining them – the Czech Babiš government. These states create significant difficulties. They will continue to use the situation to try to block EU aid to Ukraine and impose sanctions against Russia, as they have done many times before," he concluded.