Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last night that he had held talks with potential candidates for the post of chief of staff after Andriy Ermak resigned last week in connection with a corruption investigation, DPA reported, BTA reported.
In his evening address, Zelensky said that the talks focused on how the presidential office would work in the future and how it would coordinate its work with other state institutions.
“The decision on the new chief of staff will be made in the near future“, the president said.
Ermak, a longtime ally of Zelensky, resigned after anti-corruption authorities raided his premises. It remains unclear whether the operation is linked to what is being described as the country's biggest corruption scandal since the start of the war, involving alleged bribes in energy contracts.
Yermak was also Kiev's chief negotiator in talks to end the war with Russia. That position is now held by former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.