President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denied information that the investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) was the main reason for the resignation of the former head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak.
He stated this in an interview with The Atlantic, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
The publication notes that Zelenskyy had long ignored calls from Western allies and the United States to dismiss the official who had difficult relations with diplomats, but agreed to resign last fall - exactly on the day of the searches at Yermak's apartment.
The head of state refused to discuss the circumstances of this decision in detail, denying a direct connection between the investigative actions and personnel changes.
"I had my reasons," Zelenskyy briefly stated, stopping further questions from journalists on this topic.
After Yermak's resignation, the negotiation process was headed by the former head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, from Ukraine.
According to the observations of journalists, the new head of the delegation is demonstrating a more flexible position on issues of possible compromises.
In particular, the conditions under which Ukrainian forces could leave certain areas of the Donetsk Region, receiving guarantees in return that the russian army will not use this for a further offensive, are currently being discussed.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on January 15, NABU confirmed the investigation into Yermak, but the suspicion against the former head of the President's Office has not yet been served.
On the morning of November 28, the NABU detectives and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutors conducted searches at the home of the then head of the President's Office, Andrii Yermak.
And by the evening on the same day, Zelenskyy announced that the head of the President's Office was resigning.
After resigning, Yermak complained about the lack of support and said that he was going to the front.
The media also report that Yermak was "in a state of shock" when he learned that the President had decided to dismiss him.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.