U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale stressed that the anti-corruption authorities of Ukraine should be headed by people committed to the principles of transparency, accountability and modern corporate good governance.

"What we seek is what the Ukrainian people seek: the aspirations that were so clearly defined and expressed during the Revolution of Dignity. The Ukrainian people said then, and they say now, I believe, that they want to make a choice. A choice for transparency, accountability, and modern corporate good governance. It's especially important that the institutions be led by individuals who are committed to those values — especially the institutions that are, in fact, designed to enforce those rules. But in the end of the day, these are choices for the Ukrainian people through their elected representatives and their institutions. That's where we stand," Hale said at a press conference on his visit to Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday, responding to a question about possible U.S. intervention in Ukraine's affairs by means of the statement by the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch regarding the need to replace head of the SAPO Nazar Kholodnytsky.

The U.S. Under Secretary of State stressed that Washington supports the statement by Ambassador Yovanovitch.

As reported, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch said that she considers it appropriate to release from duty head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Nazar Kholodnytsky.

"To ensure the integrity of anticorruption institutions, the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor must be replaced. Nobody who has been recorded coaching suspects on how to avoid corruption charges can be trusted to prosecute those very same cases," the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine quoted the Ambassador as saying on Tuesday.

Kholodnytsky did not respond directly to Yavanovitch.

"You know, what the ambassador of another state allows herself is on her conscience. Interference in the internal affairs of another state is unacceptable. I will not comment on this statement; I will refrain from commenting for now," he said in comments to LB.ua ezine on Wednesday.