The policy reversal follows Ukraine's parliament passing a law that subordinates the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to the Prosecutor General. Newsweek reached out to Zelensky's office via email for comment.

Facing growing pressure amid nationwide protests, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine backtracked on controversial legislation that would have weakened the country’s independent anticorruption institutions.

Trump and Zelensky recently discussed a "mega deal" where the U.S. would buy drones from Kyiv, said the Ukrainian president.

The announcement appears to preclude any kind of top-level meeting or breakthrough ahead of the 50-day deadline for an agreement given by President Donald Trump.

Ukraine’s president ran on a promise to clean things up, but critics say his government is cracking down on anti-corruption activists, critics and agencies.

A face-to-face meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders is needed "to truly ensure a lasting peace," Zelensky said late on Saturday.

For many who came to know Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky only after Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the president's recent move on anti-graft agencies was jarring. In the early days of the invasion,