Tusk warns of ‘fatal combination’ amid political crisis and negotiation chaos in Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has reacted to the resignation of Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Administration, calling the current regional and diplomatic situation a “fatal combination”.

“[Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán visits [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, [Poland's President Karol] Nawrocki visits Orbán. There is chaos in the negotiations over the Whitkoff plan, and Kyiv is facing a political crisis. A fatal combination,” Tusk wrote on social media.

Ukraine has been plunged into political turmoil following a major corruption scandal. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered a scheme involving demands for bribes from contractors of the state-owned company Energoatom.

In response, the Verkhovna Rada -the unicameral parliament of Ukraine - dismissed the ministers of justice and energy, both of whom appeared in audio recordings of conversations between members of a criminal group.

Recordings released by NABU allegedly also featured Yermak. On 28 November, law enforcement conducted a search at his residence. Shortly afterward, Yermak resigned, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree relieving him of his duties.

The crisis unfolds at a sensitive moment, as intense discussions continue regarding a US-proposed peace plan. US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to visit Kyiv this weekend for further consultations.