KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President announced Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who was also the country’s lead negotiator in , after Yermak’s residence was searched by investigators.
The at the heart of Ukraine鈥檚 government was that risked disrupting his negotiating strategy at a time when Kyiv is under intense U.S. pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after .
Yermak has long been a trusted confidant of Zelenskyy, who has resisted persistent pressure to replace him.
In a nod to the controversy over Yermak鈥檚 long stay at his side, Zelenskyy said Russia was waiting for Ukraine to make missteps and upset the delicate and tense peace negotiations.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a right to retreat or argue between ourselves. If we lose unity, we risk losing everything 鈥� ourselves, Ukraine, our future,鈥� Zelenskyy said. 鈥淲e must unite, we must hold on. We have no other choice. We won鈥檛 have another Ukraine.鈥�
鈥淭o preserve our internal strength, there must be no reasons to be distracted at anything else except for defense of Ukraine,” he added. “I don鈥檛 want anybody to be questioning Ukraine, and that鈥檚 why we have today鈥檚 decisions.鈥�
In his nightly address, Zelenskyy announced that he was 鈥渞esetting鈥� the presidential office. He said Yermak had submitted his resignation and that he would begin consultations Saturday to appoint a new chief of staff.
Yermak鈥檚 name did not appear on a list of officials that Zelenskyy said would make up the Ukrainian delegation for the next round of negotiations with the United States.
The delegation will now be jointly lead by Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine鈥檚 foreign minister; and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine鈥檚 security council, Zelenskyy said. He said negotiations would happen 鈥渟oon.鈥�
Two national agencies fighting corruption in Ukraine said their search targeted Yermak. Oleksii Tkachuk, a spokesperson for Yermak, said the anti-graft agencies had not served Yermak a notice of suspicion, meaning he was not a suspect in an investigation. Yermak was not told what the searches related to, Tkachuk said.
Yermak confirmed the search of his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kyiv, where checkpoints limit public access. Media reports said Yermak’s office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment on that.
It was not clear where Zelenskyy or Yermak were at the time of the morning raid.
鈥淭he investigators are facing no obstacles,鈥� Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He said he was cooperating fully with them and that his lawyers were present.
In an interview Thursday with The Atlantic, Yermak said that as long as Zelensky is president, 鈥渘o one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory.鈥�
Ukraine, he said, is prepared to discuss only the question of what land each side controls, as indicated by the location of the front lines.
鈥淎ll we can realistically talk about right now is really to define the line of contact,鈥� Yermak said.
Energy sector scandal
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor鈥檚 Office are leading a into a $100 million energy sector scandal involving top Ukrainian officials that has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks.
It was not clear if the searches were connected to the case, and a spokesperson for the NABU, Anton Tatarnikov, declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on revealing details on an ongoing probe.
The head of Ukraine鈥檚 parliamentary anti-corruption committee, Anastasiia Radina, said on social media that Yermak鈥檚 resignation was 鈥渂etter late than never.鈥�
Mykyta Porturaev, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy鈥檚 party who last week called for Yermak鈥檚 resignation and for a cross-party government to be established, said the anti-corruption raid deepened Ukraine鈥檚 political crisis.
Yermak 鈥渄efinitely had political responsibility,鈥� Porturaev told The Associated Press. 鈥淥f course he had to go.鈥�
A spokesperson for the European Commission, Guillaume Mercier, told Ukrainian news outlet Radio Svoboda on Friday that they were following developments closely and that the searches showed that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies were working. He said fighting corruption was central to the country’s European Union accession.
Investigators suspect that , a one-time business partner of Zelenskyy, was the plot鈥檚 mastermind. Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have resigned in the scandal.
Two of Yermak鈥檚 former deputies 鈥� Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma 鈥� left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Yermak.
Political turmoil for Zelenskyy
The scandal has on Zelenskyy as he seeks continued Western support for Ukraine鈥檚 war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelenskyy he must crack down on graft.
Zelenskyy faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators published details of their energy sector investigation.
Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers in Zelenskyy鈥檚 party said Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in order to restore public trust. Some said that if Zelenskyy didn鈥檛 fire him, the party could split, threatening the president鈥檚 parliamentary majority. But Zelenskyy defied them.
Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to unite and 鈥渟top the political games鈥� in light of the U.S. pressure to reach a settlement with Russia.
Yermak met Zelenskyy over 15 years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the TV production business and Zelenskyy was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor.
He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelenskyy鈥檚 first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020.
Yermak has accompanied Zelenskyy on every trip abroad since Russia鈥檚 invasion in February 2022, and the president鈥檚 trust in him has made Yermak鈥檚 power appear almost untouchable.
Domestically, officials describe Yermak as Zelenskyy鈥檚 gatekeeper, and he is widely believed to have chosen all top government appointees, including prime ministers and ministers.
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