Zelenskyy considers media publications about Yermak's excessive powers to be russian attack on President

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considers publications in the mass media and the spread of opinions on social networks about the allegedly excessive powers of the head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak to be a russian attack on the President.

Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"You have to understand, all this works in order to attack me accordingly. Russia launched a lot of different disinformation, that it is not me who decides, but some shadowy people who decide, that the President does not control the party, or the President does not have influence over certain ministers. I don't want to have influence. There is the law. I'm the President, according to the Ukrainian law. Yermak is a powerful manager. One of the very powerful managers in my team. I respect him for the result. He does what I tell him and he completes these tasks," he said.

Zelenskyy added that when they want to weaken the leader, they beat his team, this is the policy of those who are dissatisfied with him, and not only russians are dissatisfied with him, but also others, for whom a strong Ukraine is a problem.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in February 2020, Zelenskyy appointed Yermak as the head of the Office of the President instead of Andrii Bohdan. Before that, Yermak held the position of assistant to the President from May 21, 2019.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Zelenskyy also commented on the ceasefire proposals.

Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine does not want to extend the contract with russia on gas transit to Europe, and alternative suppliers, in particular Azerbaijan, are being considered.