Zelenskiy Left Exposed by Loss of Top Aide as US Pressure Mounts

The resignation of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff leaves the Ukrainian president deprived of his most important adviser at a critical moment in the fight against the Russian invasion.

Andriy Yermak has been Zelenskiy’s lead negotiator in talks with Ukraine’s allies and helped convince the US to leave out some unpalatable elements from a proposed peace plan last week. His departure, amid a spiraling corruption scandal, comes just as Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine to make concessions to Russia in order to end almost four years of fighting and Zelenskiy’s forces are facing shortages of weapons and funding.