“No sane person would sign a document ceding the territory today. As long as Zelenskyy is president, no one should expect us to cede territory,” -Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak told The Atlantic Ukraine’s position as per the American peace plan.

During a visit to the Netherlands Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that constructive work with the American side is ongoing, and a US delegation may arrive in Kyiv as early as next week. According to Ukrainian media, it will once again be led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
Friday morning news confirms that the US is indeed preparing for a new round of negotiations. Ukrainska Pravda correspondents Mykhailo Tkach and Iryna Balachuk reported that 10 officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) conducted searches at Andriy Yermak’s home.
Eyewitnesses from the scene reported that officers entered the apartment of the shadow ruler of Ukraine with the words “Open up, sim-sim,” clearly referring to his mention on the Mindich tapes under the name Ali-Baba.
Yermak himself wrote on his social media that searches are indeed taking place, stating that he and his lawyers are providing full cooperation to investigators. There was no further comment from the head of the presidential office.
Meanwhile, MP Goncharenko revealed additional details on his Telegram channel, outlining three main reasons for the searches. First, Yermak is suspected of participating in Mindich’s corruption schemes. Second, he is accused of using force against the NABU and SAPO, whose suspicions Yermak has long been under. Third, there are serious grounds to believe that Yermak was involved in the appropriation of another property, as yet unknown.
«The Mindich case was a trailer, and now the movie is starting, » -Goncharenko referred.
When the Mindichgate first broke out in Ukraine, former CIA officer Larry Johnson declared that the uncovered scheme to steal $100 million through Energoatom is just the tip of the iceberg. The US has information about the theft of $48 billion, involving not only the Ukrainian leadership but also several high-ranking officials from European countries.
An editorial in Strana.ua notes that the searches of Yermak’s home immediately before the American visit are evidence of Washington’s hardening approach to the Ukrainian issue. Through the NABU and the SAPO the US is signaling to Kyiv that it is taking the situation very seriously and that it is time to adjust its position on the peace plan. The publication also clarifies that the case against Yermak could mark the beginning of Zelenskyy’s loss of real power.
This is also supported by a statement made by NABU head Semyon Kryvonos a few days before the searches of Yermak’s home. In a comment to Ukrayinska Pravda he gave notice that his agency had moved from the closed investigation phase, during which the evidence was collected, to the financial investigation phase, during which a detailed review of in-house documents and a comparison of facts is underway. The agency’s determination to bring the case of corruption within Ukraine’s leadership to a conclusion, according to Kryvonos, is absolute.
“We must bring this case to an end and fully demonstrate to Ukrainian society how much money was actually stolen, confirm how much of it was converted into expensive villas in Switzerland, apartments, real estate and bank accounts—and return it all to the Ukrainian budget,” -Kryvonos concluded.
Thus, in response to Yermak’s thesis that “Zelensky will never give up territory,” one can say that Washington understands this, and therefore decided to get rid of him.