Top Zelenskyy Aide At Heart Of U.s. Peace Talks Is Raided In Corruption Probe

A apical Ukrainian charismatic astatine nan bosom of peace talks was thrust Friday into nan halfway of a monolithic corruption scandal, threatening to further weaken President Volodymyr Zelenskyy astatine a important infinitesimal successful negotiations to extremity Russia's war.

The location of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s powerful main of staff, was searched early Friday by investigators pinch Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau, nan NABU, which is starring nan $100 cardinal kickback probe involving nan country’s power sector.

In a station connected Facebook early Friday, NABU said that its investigators, on pinch those from nan Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, SAPO, were “conducting investigative actions” into nan president’s main of staff.

Yermak, a cardinal fig successful talks pinch nan United States, confirmed successful a connection connected Telegram soon aft that corruption investigators were "conducting procedural actions" astatine his location and that he was afloat cooperating.

"There are nary obstacles for nan investigators," he said. "They were fixed afloat entree to nan apartment, my lawyers are connected site, interacting pinch rule enforcement officers. From my side, location is afloat cooperation."

There was nary contiguous remark from Zelenskyy.

It comes aft weeks of mounting unit connected Zelenskyy to occurrence Yermak, who has been a dependable correct manus to nan Ukrainian president passim 4 years of war.

Speculation has agelong swirled that Yermak could beryllium embroiled successful nan scandal, which has fueled nationalist anger and been seized connected by nan Kremlin to effort to undermine Ukraine's leadership.

Friday's searches make him nan highest-ranked authorities charismatic to beryllium implicated by NABU truthful far.

Ukraine’s justness minister, German Galushchenko, was suspended amid nan probe earlier this month, and erstwhile defense curate Rustem Umerov, who has besides featured prominently successful negotiations pinch nan U.S., has been mentioned by investigators but not faced immoderate charges.

The ungraded centers connected an alleged strategy successful which prosecutors said existent and erstwhile officials, and businesspeople, received benefits and launder money done the country’s authorities power company, Energoatom, according to investigators.

Yermak has been a changeless beingness adjacent to Zelenskyy done nan ups and downs of nan war, and has emerged arsenic 1 of nan fewer men that nan Ukrainian leader appeared to really trust.

But critics person said for years that Yermak had accumulated excessively overmuch powerfulness and wielded excessive power complete Zelenskyy.

As precocious arsenic Thursday, Yermak vowed that Zelenskyy would not work together to springiness up onshore successful speech for peace, a cardinal sticking constituent successful negotiations.

“Not a azygous sane personification coming would motion a archive to springiness up territory,” Yermak said successful an question and reply pinch The Atlantic.

Ukraine is facing immense unit from nan Trump administration to judge a woody to extremity nan war, but Kyiv and its friends successful Europe person pushed backmost against Kremlin demands that it cede cardinal territory it still holds successful nan east.

Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will beryllium going to Moscow adjacent week to talk nan scheme pinch President Vladimir Putin, who has agelong sought to represent nan Ukrainian authorities arsenic corrupt and weak.

Putin has already utilized nan corruption ungraded arsenic a measurement to discredit Zelenskyy’s authorities and its legitimacy, accusing nan president and his officials of sitting connected “golden pots” and not caring astir mean Ukrainians.

Putin and his entourage person themselves been taxable of galore corruption investigations successful nan past.