By Reuters November 29, 2025, 8:30:38 PM IST (Published)
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who led Ukraine’s negotiation team in US-backed peace talks, resigned on Friday hours after anti-corruption agents searched his home.
The high-profile probe into alleged senior-level graft has provoked public outrage and put Kyiv’s leadership under strain as Washington increases pressure on Ukraine to reach a settlement with Russia.
Yermak had been pushing back against US-proposed terms that critics say would accommodate many of Moscow’s territorial and security demands. Zelenskiy said he would consider a replacement on Saturday, November 29.
“Russia is eager for Ukraine to make mistakes. We won’t make any,” Zelenskiy said in a video address, urging unity. “Our work goes on. Our struggle goes on.”
Kyiv’s main power broker
A close friend of Zelenskiy since the president’s TV-comedian days, Yermak, 54, became a central decision maker after Zelenskiy’s 2019 election, drawing criticism as an unelected adviser with substantial influence.
Yermak confirmed his apartment was searched and said he was cooperating. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office did not specify which probe the searches related to.
This month the agencies disclosed a broad investigation into an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic energy company, reportedly involving former senior officials and an ex-business partner of Zelenskiy’s. Yermak was not named a suspect, but activists, opposition lawmakers and some members of Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party argued his continued role undermined Ukraine’s negotiating position.
Mykyta Poturayev, a party lawmaker who had called for an overhaul of the presidential office and government, said Yermak’s departure, though risky, was necessary. “The potential dangers of Andriy Yermak remaining in his position outweighed these risks,” he said.
Tough peace talks ahead with US
The US push for a diplomatic settlement comes as Russian forces press attacks along multiple front-line sectors, advancing slowly at high cost. Moscow says its troops are close to capturing Pokrovsk, a significant objective.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a leaked 28-point US plan could serve “a basis for future agreements,” but insisted Kyiv must cede some strategic eastern territory that Russia claims before Moscow would stop fighting.
Demonstrating progress against corruption is also vital for Kyiv’s bid to join the European Union, a goal Ukrainian officials view as key to distancing the country from Russia’s influence.
Ukraine’s anti-graft bodies have intensified activity during the invasion but say they face pressure from entrenched interests. Zelenskiy briefly curtailed their independence last July but reversed that move after public backlash and criticism from international partners.
