President Volodymyr Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak, a close ally who led Ukraine’s negotiating team during fraught US-backed peace talks, resigned on Friday, hours after anti-corruption agents searched his home.
A major investigation into high-level corruption, at a time when Ukraine is battling Russia for survival, has sparked public outrage and plunged its leadership into crisis as Washington steps up pressure on Kiev to reach a settlement.
Yermak led Ukraine’s efforts to push back against U.S. proposed terms that would meet many of Moscow’s territorial and security demands. Zelensky said he would consider a replacement on Saturday.
“Russia would like Ukraine to make mistakes. We will not make any,” Zelenskyy said in a video address on Friday, calling for greater unity and warning: “We risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future.”
“Our work continues. Our struggle continues.”
Who is Andriy Yermak?
Yermak has been a close friend of Zelenskyy since the president’s days as a TV comedian, and helped guide his successful outsider campaign for the 2019 election.
Since then, the 54-year-old has positioned himself as the chief decision-maker, drawing criticism both at home and abroad as an unelected adviser with excessive power.
Yermak had confirmed that his apartment was being searched and said he was cooperating. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office did not specify which investigation the searches were related to.
The two agencies this month unveiled an in-depth investigation into an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at the state-owned atomic energy company, allegedly involving former senior officials and an ex-business partner of Zelenskyy.
Yermak was not named as a suspect, but activists, opposition lawmakers and even some from Zelenskyy’s own Servant of the People party had called for his resignation, saying his presence endangered Ukraine’s negotiating power.
Tough US peace talks lie ahead
The US push for a solution comes as Russia moves into several parts of the vast frontline, where the country has advanced painfully slowly and at great cost in lives since sending its troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow says its forces are close to capturing the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which would be their biggest haul in almost two years.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said a 28-point US plan leaked last week “could provide a basis for future agreements.” But he demanded Kiev give up part of the strategic eastern land that Russia claims before Moscow stops fighting.
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