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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko admitted Thursday that the country has failed to successfully fight corruption, and asked for help from the public, Sputnik reports.

In his address to the Ukrainian parliament, Poroshenko said: “A year ago I proclaimed, ‘officials don’t take – people don’t give.’ Neither side has adhered to this principle. I appeal to people. We need a law that would strengthen investigative powers."

He added that corruption levels decreased in areas where there was nothing to ask bribes for.

After the parliamentary election in 2014, Ukraine began to implement new anti-corruption laws that had been prepared by the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the National Anti-corruption Bureau.

In March, an annual report on money laundering and financial crimes by the US State Department said Ukraine should work to combat corruption in the country’s financial institutions.

According to a poll by the International Republican Institute, 68 percent of Ukrainians surveyed said they considered corruption in the country a significant problem that affected their lives.