Name: How will Yermak's resignation impact peace talks? | DW News
Uploaded: 2025-11-29T16:54:51.000Z
Duration: 5 min 29 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

We start in Ukraine where President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff has stepped down.

Andrew Yermak's resignation followed raids on his home and office by anti corruption authorities.

Adverbs of manner

Though he's not officially a suspect in any investigation for now.

As well as being Ukraine's lead negotiator in talks with the United States, Yermak was seen as President Zelensky's key political ally.

His departure is seen as another blow for the Ukrainian leader and may disrupt the current peace talk negotiations.

Following that high level resignation, President Zelensky announced a wider reshuffle of his government.

First, the office of the President of Ukraine will be reorganized.

The head of the office, Andriy Yermak, has submitted his resignation.

I am grateful to Andrii for always representing Ukraine's position in the negotiations exactly as it should be.

It's always been a patriotic position, but I want there to be no rumours or speculation.

As for the new head of the office, I will hold consultations with those who could lead this institution.

For more on this, I am joined by DW analyst Konstantin Eggert.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's most important confidant is now gone, along with the fact that the President has reshuffled those other senior leadership positions.

Is this a Kyiv in turmoil and is this a win for Russia?

I don't think it's a win for Russia, although we've seen President Putin's avatar, his press secretary Peskov, saying that this proves that Ukrainian system is shaking.

But you would expect him to say that in such circumstances.

But I think a lot Alice will defend depend on how quickly will Zelensky appoint figures to his administration.

Also he's talking about reshuffling them, reorganizing the administration.

That means that it will be much more than just replacing Andriy Yermak.

Speed here is of essence and I think that's my personal view.

Of course, recognizable figures that will be able to interact with the outside world will continue, could continue.

Negotiations will be very, very important to see in this administration.

But so far, I mean, these things are just starting probably as we speak.

I want to talk a little bit about the fact that Yermak was the negotiator in peace negotiations.

How will this resignation impact peace talks?

You've talked about the need for speed, but tell us a little bit more.

Well, I do think that the important element here is Zelensky's total trust in Yermak.

A lot of people were saying that people that dealt with the Ukrainian administration were saying that it's like an avatar of Zelensky.

I mean, so to find someone who is essentially speaking for Zelensky, who knows what he wants in negotiations, to be flexible also, this person has to be flexible and to be able to take decisions on the spot, sometimes very quickly, that is a tall order to feel.

And I think everything here boils down to one word, trust.

And that will be a big challenge for Volodymyr Zelensky.

It's not for nothing that some people compared Yermak, who is now gone as head of Zelenskyy's office, to the late US President Dick Cheney, who was an extremely powerful, the most powerful vice president in American history.

So I think there is something to this comparison that to me strikes the correct chord.

Can you talk a little bit more about what might this mean for Zelenskyy's future?

There is a lot of pressure on the president, and

there, from what I understand, a lot of unhappiness from Ukrainian citizens about the president and how he has handled everything up to this point.

Well, I do not think it will impact Zelenskyy's future immediately.

He'll continue to be leading these negotiations with the US And Russia.

Whatever will come out of them, That's a different question.

But I think that, again, a lot will depend on whether there will be an ability to renew the administration.

But evidently, as you rightly said, there are complaints about corruption.

There are complaints about not people being at the top for too long, for too many, let's say, informal connections.

That is something that you find all the time, let's say, on Ukrainian media.

And this is something that I think in such circumstances, it's fairly understandable.

But I do think that the future of Zelenskyy, his powers will not be changed by this.

Of course, it depends again, how this will be presented to the public, whether the public will believe that there was a renewal.

In this particular circumstances, it's very difficult, but it's not impossible.

DW analyst Konstantin Eggert, thank you so much.