By Ivana Kottasová, Victoria Butenko, Daria Tarasova-Markina

Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — One of Ukraine’s most influential political operators and a close aide of President Volodymyr Zelensky has resigned, hours after anti-corruption agencies raided his home – a major crisis as Kyiv faces new pressure from the US to accept a peace deal to end the war with Russia.

Officially the chief of staff to the president, Andriy Yermak has often been seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful man. He has been leading the Ukrainian delegation during recent talks in Geneva with Washington.

Yermak’s resignation, which was announced by Zelensky on Friday, complicates Kyiv’s position going into crucial peace negotiations with the United States.

“I want no one to have any questions about Ukraine today. Therefore, today we have the following internal decisions. First, there will be a reboot of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The head of the office, Andriy Yermak, has written a letter of resignation,” Zelensky said in his daily TV address.

Yermak did not immediately issue a public statement. He confirmed earlier on Friday that the raid was going on, saying on Telegram that he was “fully cooperating” with the authorities.

“The investigators are not encountering any obstacles. They have been given full access to the apartment, and my lawyers are on site, interacting with law enforcement officials,” he said.

Both of Ukraine’s two main anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were involved in the searches, according to a statement released by the agencies on Friday.

The statement did not disclose the reason for the raids, but the raid comes just two weeks after the two agencies announced a sweeping investigation into an alleged kickback scheme concerning Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.

The scandal has already taken down two of Zelensky’s ministers and embroiled a former business associate from his days in the entertainment industry.

But the latest development is particularly awkward for Zelensky given Yermak’s recent elevation to the top of Ukraine’s negotiating team.

It is unclear who will take Yermak’s spot in the next rounds of the negotiations, expected as early as the next few days. Announcing the resignation, Zelensky said he would be speaking to possible candidates to take up the chief of staff post on Saturday.

The Ukrainian leader said the delegation that will be meeting the US team will include the Chief of the General Staff, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Ukraine’s intelligence services.

Talks with the United States have been difficult. Last week, the Trump administration came up with a 28-point peace plan that largely reflected Russia’s extensive wishlist, including demands for Ukraine to give up territory, reduce its army and be barred from joining NATO.

Ukrainian and European officials strongly opposed that version of the peace plan and Yermak’s delegation managed to convince the US to revise it.

More talks have been scheduled for the coming days. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was expecting a US delegation to arrive to Moscow early next week, while Zelensky said the Ukrainian team was also set to meet the Americans.

While some US officials, including President Donald Trump, have touted great progress being made this week, any chances of a swift breakthrough appear slim, especially after Putin indicated on Thursday that he is unwilling to budge from his maximalist demands.

Corruption woes

Ukraine has long been seen as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, a major obstacle to its aspirations to join the European Union.

The EU has made it clear to Kyiv that it must implement strong anti-graft measures if it wants to become a member and the Biden administration urged the Ukrainian government to do more to root out corruption in 2023.

Fighting rampant government corruption was also Zelensky’s main campaign pledge ahead of the 2019 election. A former comedian who played Ukraine’s president on a hit TV show, Zelensky had zero political experience before his victory – but he tapped into voters’ dismay on the issue.

During the war, Zelensky has fired a slew of senior Ukrainian officials over corruption allegations, and his government has instigated anti-corruption measures, including the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

International organizations, including the EU, the United Nations and the G7 group of leading industrialized nations have previously praised Zelensky’s government for its anti-corruption efforts, including the fact that even the country’s top officials are no longer beyond the reach of law enforcement.

Asked about the latest developments on Friday, Paula Pinho, the spokesperson for the European Commission, said the investigations “show that the anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine are doing their work.”

But Zelensky’s decision earlier this year to fast-track a new law that granted oversight of the NABU and SAPO agencies to the prosecutor general, a politically appointed figure, was seen as a series misstep.

Criticised by anti-corruption watchdogs at home and abroad, as well as the EU, the move sparked Ukraine’s first anti-government protests since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The public anger forced Zelensky to quickly reverse track and restore the agencies’ independence.

But that episode, coupled with the recent allegations wielded against some of Zelensky’s closest allies, including his former business partner Timur Mindich, his former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and now Yermak, are putting more pressure on the Ukrainian leader at a time when he is facing difficult negotiations with the US and Russia.

The-CNN-Wire
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