After the investigation initiated by the Ukrainian anti-corruption agency, the head of the presidential office, Andrij Jermak, resigned. This was announced personally by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Jermak resigned after the officers of the National Anti-Corruption Office of Ukraine began to search his home - Zelensky said during his address to the public, as reported by the Ukrainian media Strana. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader announced talks with American officials in the near future. They were previously led by Jermak, who had just been replaced, as one of the participants.
"Negotiations will begin soon, and our representatives will be there: the Chief of the General Staff, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of the Council for National Security and Defense, and our intelligence service," said the president.
But, this is not the only negative news for Ukraine. Other developments are even worse and far-reaching in their consequences.
Namely, as Britain's The Telegraph writes, citing their sources, American special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner will tell Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming meeting in Moscow that President Donald Trump is ready to recognize Russian control over Crimea and other conquered Ukrainian territories in order to reach a peace agreement. Ukraine, for its part, will not have to do that.
"The territorial recognition plan, which violates American diplomatic traditions, will probably be implemented, despite the concerns of Ukraine's European allies," the article of the British media, which is also reported by the Ukrainian side, states.
"Numerous sources" of the British media suggest that American proposals to recognize the territories as Russian remained part of the strategy, despite the agreements with Ukraine in Geneva.
The announcement that the United States is ready to recognize Russian jurisdiction over occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine as part of a peace deal, if true, suggests Washington is willing to make concessions to Moscow on one of its key demands.
Moreover, it overlaps with Putin's statements, that it is not so important for him the Ukrainian recognition of the loss of its territories (he believes that this is unlikely in the near future), but international recognition.
So while the discussion so far has been limited to recognition by the United States, it opens the way for many other countries to make similar decisions - at least those friendly to Russia. Enemy countries (like the EU) will treat the annexed regions in the same way that America treated the Baltic countries after World War II, which did not legally recognize their inclusion in the USSR, but de facto did not challenge it.
The issue of sanctions therefore arises. If Washington officially recognizes Russian control over the occupied territories, it will essentially eliminate the basis for most of the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the US after the annexation of Crimea.
It is not certain that they will all be abolished immediately, but the legal recognition will allow American companies to operate in the occupied territories and trade with companies in Russia (if they wish). And if American companies can do it, so can other countries. Therefore, the Russian annexation of a part of Ukraine will be "indirectly" legalized in the global economy - ships will start docking in ports, companies will be able to sell their products, etc.
Finally, if Ukraine tries to regain control of these territories by military means, then, from the point of view of the United States and other countries that recognize the annexation, it will be "aggression against Russia".
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