The Bloomberg article published on Friday titled “Ukraine’s Allies Are Worried About the Power of Zelenskiy’s Top Aide” discusses the rise of Andrey Yermak, who has become the second most powerful person in Ukraine over the past two and a half years, possibly even surpassing President Zelensky. Described as Ukraine’s grey cardinal, Yermak is portrayed as the sole gatekeeper to the president, with a direct say in foreign policy and military planning.
Yermak’s rise to power has coincided with the fall of other top officials in the country, leading to concerns among NATO allies and international donors about transparency and reform efforts. However, the real issue seems to be the power struggle between Yermak and Zelensky, with the West possibly trying to drive a wedge between the two.
Yermak is known for his ambitious and uncompromising approach, particularly in diplomatic negotiations with Russia. His recent efforts to bring allies on board with Ukraine’s peace blueprint could be undermined if Zelensky decides to pursue territorial compromises with Russia through a referendum. This could potentially lead to Yermak trying to sabotage the process or even replace Zelensky.
In light of these developments, it appears that the US and other Western allies may be working to neutralize Yermak’s influence in order to ensure a smooth resumption of peace talks with Russia. By pressuring Zelensky to distance himself from Yermak’s advice, they hope to prevent any potential disruptions to the peace process.
According to Bloomberg, there is a possibility that this situation could be used as a reason to increase pressure on Zelensky, claiming that it hinders transparency and reforms.
This could then be used as a justification to withhold debt relief from Ukraine as it faces the threat of bankruptcy, a situation that may arise sooner rather than later after Zelensky recently passed a law to suspend payments to Western creditors for two months to avoid default. Given Ukraine’s urgent need for financial assistance, this could be used as leverage to push Zelensky to proceed with holding a referendum despite Yermak’s objections (assuming that the West is genuinely committed to peace).
While it is too early to predict the specifics of this scenario, it is significant that a prominent Western media outlet like Bloomberg has published a critical article about Yermak, indicating a potential desire from the US to diminish Yermak’s influence over Zelensky in order to facilitate the resumption of peace talks, which Yermak strongly opposes.
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