Zelensky's chief of staff resigns amid corruption probe
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and chief of staff Andriy Yermak attend a meeting with the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov in Kyiv on July 22. Photo: Zelenskiy/Offical Telegram Account/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned on Friday, several hours after investigators from the anti-corruption agency raided his house.
Why it matters: This is a political earthquake in the war-torn country and comes amid frantic diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to push a peace deal to end the war.
- Yermak was the most powerful political figure in Ukraine after Zelensky, with influence over domestic politics, military issues and foreign policy.
- "This is the perfect storm. There is a lot of uncertainty right now," a Ukrainian official said.
- Two Ukrainian officials said Yermak's resignation came a day before he was supposed to travel to Miami for talks with President Trump's team about the peace plan.
Driving the news: Yermak has been at the center of a major corruption scandal that hit the Zelensky administration with allegations of embezzlement from the energy sector.
- Members of the opposition demanded Yermak's resignation, though he has not been named in the accusations. Zelensky backed Yermak for several weeks and rejected calls to fire him.
- A U.S. official told Axios last week that the scandal could weaken Ukraine's negotiating position with Russia.
- In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, Yermak gave an impassioned defense of Zelensky's anti-corruption record and said it was important that these investigations continue but not "be politicized." He said his focus was on ending the war.
What he's saying: Zelensky announced the resignation and said he will reshuffle the president's office and appoint a new chief of staff in the coming days.
- "Russia really wants Ukraine to make mistakes. There will be no mistakes on our side," Zelensky said in a video he released after Yermak's resignation. "We do not have the right to ease the pressure. We do not have the right to retreat or to quarrel among ourselves. If we lose our unity, we risk losing everything."
What to watch: Yermak headed the Ukrainian negotiations team on a peace deal with Russia. Last weekend he led talks in Geneva with the U.S. delegation headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- The talks led to changes in President Trump's 28-point peace plan and resulted in a new 19-point peace plan that the Ukrainians felt better reflected their interests.
- Yermak was expected to arrive in Miami this weekend together with several of Zelensky's advisers and hold talks with Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Ukrainian officials said.
- The Ukrainian officials said the goal was to finalize the understanding between the U.S. and Ukraine before Witkoff and Kushner travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- A Ukrainian official said that while Yermak's resignation put the negotiations in flux, it will not lead to changes in the Ukrainian position on ending the war, which has been determined by Zelensky.
