Bangladesh, July 31 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky finds himself at a political crossroads after a contentious attempt to centralize control over Ukraines key anti-corruption institutions sparked widespread backlash at home and drew a stern rebuke from the European Union. At the heart of the matter lies a tension between wartime exigency and democratic integrity-one that Kyiv can ill afford to mishandle as it strives for EU membership and postwar reconstruction.

On July 24, Zelensky abruptly reversed course on a legislative proposal that would have significantly weakened the independence of National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO). The move followed rare ma...