Andriy Yermak: Zelenskyy aide in U.S. peace talks raided in Ukraine corruption probe

A top Ukrainian official at the heart of peace talks was thrust Friday into the center of a massive corruption scandal, threatening to further weaken President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in negotiations to end Russia's war.

A top Ukrainian official at the heart of peace talks was thrust Friday into the center of a massive corruption scandal, threatening to further weaken President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in negotiations to end Russia's war.

The home of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, was searched early Friday by investigators with Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau, the NABU, which is leading the $100 million kickback probe involving the country’s energy sector.

It capped a dramatic week, which began with Kyiv under intense pressure from President Donald Trump to endorse a plan that initially offered Moscow its core hardline demands. Ukrainian negotiators, led by Yermak, secured changes and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will now head to Russia for talks next week.

The Kremlin has sought to exploit the scandal and delighted Friday in what it said would be "very negative" consequences of the latest development.

In a post on Facebook early Friday, NABU said that its investigators, along with those from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, SAPO, were “conducting investigative actions” into the president’s chief of staff.