The weekly commented on Friday's dismissal of the head of the office (chancery) of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was investigated for a corruption scandal at the highest levels of power.
On Saturday, Jermak was supposed to be in Florida for talks with the US delegation about Donald Trump's peace plan. “For years, Andriy Yermak was a man too powerful to fail,” commented the Economist.
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Who is likely to replace Yermak in the negotiations?
Why was Andriy Yermak dismissed?
Who are considered the favorites to become the new head of the president's office?
How does the Economist assess the situation in the peace negotiations?
“With the weakening of Zelensky's position, no successor to Yermak will have similar power. This will be a blow to the president's political machine,” the weekly added, emphasizing the falling support for Zelensky in society.
The favorites to become the next head of the president's office include Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Oksana Markarova, former ambassador to Washington.
Budanov, who is “respected in Western capitals, will likely take over Yermak's role as chief negotiator” in the process to end the war in Ukraine, the weekly added.
According to the magazine, peace negotiations “are unlikely to be suspended to take into account the internal turmoil in Ukraine,” and Russian leader Vladimir Putin “enjoys Ukraine's difficulties, changing his mind about the possibility of concluding a peace agreement.”
On Saturday, Zelensky announced that a Ukrainian delegation, led by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, is on its way to peace talks in the US.
