Yermak’s departure from Ukraine’s leading circle will come as a major blow for Zelensky, with US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll due to arrive in Kyiv by the end of this week as part of Trump’s draft peace plan. US officials are heading to Moscow next week.
Even hours before the raid on his flat, Yermak underlined the significant influence he held in Ukraine’s leadership, conveying his government’s position as it comes under US pressure to make territorial concessions to Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“As long as Zelensky is president, no-one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” Yermak told The Atlantic website.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine hand over territory it still controls in the eastern Donetsk region, including several strategically important cities.
“If they don’t withdraw, we’ll achieve this by force of arms,” Putin said on Thursday.
Yermak admitted during his interview he was under “enormous” pressure to stand down, adding “the case is fairly loud, and there needs to be an objective and independent investigation without political influence”.
