Ukraine’s top peace negotiator resigns after anti-corruption raid in his country – National
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, whose residence was raided earlier in the day by anti-corruption investigators.
Yermak served as Ukraine’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the United States. He has also been a confidant of Zelensky for years.
The unprecedented searches within the Ukrainian government come at a time when kyiv is under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal, nearly four years after the Russian invasion.
Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said their research targeted Yermak. Oleksii Tkachuk, Yermak’s spokesman, said anti-corruption agencies had not served Yermak with a notice of suspicion, meaning he was not a suspect in an investigation. Tkachuk added that Yermak was not informed of the purpose of the searches.
Yermak, an influential figure in Ukraine and a key player in negotiations with the United States, confirmed he searched his apartment inside the presidential complex in downtown kyiv, where checkpoints limit public access. According to media reports, Yermak’s office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment on this information.
It is unclear where Zelensky or Yermak were at the time of the morning raid.
“Investigators do not encounter any obstacles,” Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He added that he was fully cooperating with them and that his lawyers were present.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs. They are currently leading a major investigation into a $100 million energy corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials that has made national headlines in recent weeks.
It was unclear whether the searches were related to the case and a NABU spokesman, Anton Tatarnikov, declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on disclosing details of an ongoing investigation.
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A European Commission spokesperson, Guillaume Mercier, told local Ukrainian channel Radio Svoboda on Friday that they were closely monitoring developments and that searches showed that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies were working. He added that the fight against corruption was essential for the country’s membership in the European Union.
Investigators suspect that Tymur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky, was the mastermind of the plot. Mindich has fled the country and any criminal proceedings against him will likely be conducted in absentia. Two senior government ministers resigned following the scandal.
Two of Yermak’s former MPs – Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma – left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribery and other wrongdoing, but still works for Yermak.
The scandal has added even more problems for Zelensky, as he seeks continued support from Western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelensky he must fight corruption.
Zelensky faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators released details of their investigation into the energy sector.
Although Yermak has not been accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers from Zelensky’s party have said Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in order to restore public trust. Some said that if Zelensky did not fire him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority. But Zelensky challenged them.
Zelensky urged Ukrainians to unite and “stop political games” in light of U.S. pressure to reach a settlement with Russia.
Yermak met Zelenskyy more than 15 years ago, when he was a lawyer getting into the television production business. Zelenskyy was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor.
He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelensky’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020.
Yermak has accompanied Zelensky on all his foreign trips since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and the president’s trust in him has made Yermak’s power appear almost untouchable.
Domestically, officials describe Yermak as Zelensky’s gatekeeper and it is widely believed that he handpicked all senior government appointees, including prime ministers and ministers.
Individuals linked to Yermak and the president’s office have already been investigated.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
