Andrei Gnatov will take over the role of the chief negotiator on the peace plan for Ukraine after Friday's resignation of the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. Volodymyr Zelensky announced in an address to the nation on social media that representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Intelligence, as well as Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, will also take part in the negotiations.
— There will be talks soon [ze stroną amerykańską]our representatives will be present. (…) When we have such an external challenge in the form of war, we must be strong inside, emphasized the president of Ukraine.
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Why did Andriy Yermak resign?
Who will be the new negotiator for the peace plan?
Which agencies searched Yermak's apartment?
Why are talks with the American side taking place?
The head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office resigned
— More internal decisions were made today. Firstly, there will be changes in the Office of the President of Ukraine. The head of the bureau, Andriy Yermak, resigned, Volodymyr Zelensky announced earlier.
The President of Ukraine thanked the head of his office for “the Ukrainian position in the negotiations has always been presented as it should be.” — It has always been a patriotic position. However, I want there to be no rumors and speculations, the leader said, referring to the fact that Yermak was the main negotiator on the peace plan.
NABU searched the house of Andriy Yermak
On Friday, Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies – NABU and SAP (Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) conducted a search in the apartment of Andriy Yermak, the closest advisor to the President of Ukraine. The 54-year-old is also a friend of Volodymyr Zelensky from before his presidency and is often called his “right hand”.
“Today, NABU and SAP are actually conducting procedural activities in my apartment. There are no obstacles for the investigators. They have been given full access to the apartment, my lawyers are on site and are cooperating with the officers. I am fully ready to cooperate,” wrote Andriy Yermak on Telegram on Friday.
The searches were carried out in connection with an extensive investigation into the corruption scandal in the nuclear energy sector, in which, according to According to NABU's findings, the participants were to collect bribes of 10-15%. contract values.
Andriy Yermak's involvement in the corruption scandal was previously suggested by opposition MP Jarosław Zhelezniak. He informed that a person appearing under the pseudonym “Ali Baba” appears in the recordings obtained by the services. There are suspicions that it is “AB” — Andriy Borisovich. These are the names of the head of the Ukrainian president's office.
“Ukraińska Pravda” claimed that Andriy Yermak, after revealing the scandal, ordered subordinate services to prepare compromising materials against the head of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko.
