Patience has broken in: why Yermak is increasingly being remembered in the West

Publications in the media of materials regarding the role of the Office of President Andriy Yermak in the processes of curtailing democracy indicate that the patience of the Western allies has already run out, so Bankova should draw her own conclusions so that our country does not lose military assistance.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by public figure Karl Volokh.

“Obviously, the cup of patience has run out. I remember the end of 2022, the beginning of 2023, when there were already many alarming signals about the collapse of democracy in Ukraine, violations of the Constitution, and so on… But everyone preferred not to notice this. Over time, it obviously got to the point that they could no longer tolerate it, and real materials about what is happening in Ukrainian politics are beginning to appear. These materials are certainly not very pleasant for Bankova. And now everyone is focused on Yermak, which, in principle, obviously has some serious grounds,” Volokh noted.

According to him, previously, Western allies preferred to ignore authoritarian processes so that Ukraine continued to receive military assistance.

“It is already difficult to receive aid to Ukraine… Therefore, Zelensky is still not at the center of criticism, although in reality, no matter what is going on and no matter how powerful the main vizier of this “sultanate” is, all responsibility lies with him,” the public figure added.

“I am usually skeptical of the versions of foreign publications regarding what is happening in our politics. Often they do not have inside information and build their versions speculatively… I see that foreign journalists are limited, so their versions are speculative and you cannot rely on them one hundred percent. But there are certain reasons why in this case I am ready to agree with the version that Yermak is behind the change of government,” Volokh noted.

In his opinion, in this case, a change of government is a way to shift the population’s dissatisfaction with economic policy and the deterioration of living standards onto the Cabinet of Ministers, and Yermak thus seeks to strengthen his influence in the executive branch of government.

“But this is something that cannot be abused. It can be done once. If it were done when the election campaign begins, I would understand it, it’s logical, this could happen in almost any country. True, constitutionally it sounds terrible here when the Office of the President can change the government in a parliamentary-presidential republic. But there is nothing like that at the moment, that is, the election campaign is not yet approaching, so it’s too early to change the government from the point of view of simple political logic,” the public figure explained.

“It’s ridiculous to expect that this will lead to a better government. The government doesn’t manage anything, they formally sign documents, but they manage the government from the Office of the President. Anyone who knows even a little about what’s going on behind the scenes understands this,” says Karl Volokh, adding that in this way Yermak seeks to further strengthen his influence in the Cabinet.

The day before, the British edition of The Economist published an article stating that the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, is behind potential personnel changes in the government , which may occur in the near future. It is noted that Yermak is making attempts to remove certain officials, instead promoting the “necessary” people for himself. Thus, according to three interlocutors who spoke on condition of anonymity, the head of the OP influenced the course of the Chernyshov case. In particular, it was he who allowed it to advance, while others were frozen.

Meanwhile, Yermak himself is increasingly becoming a source of irritation in Washington . This is confirmed by more than a dozen sources Politico among former and current US officials, as well as congressional aides. Some of the interlocutors describe Yermak as overly demanding, harsh in communication and poorly informed about domestic US politics. Some express concerns that he may have inaccurately conveyed Washington’s position to the Ukrainian leadership. One source described him as a “ bipartisan irritant ”.

At the same time, the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, is causing “bipartisan irritation” and the US administration’s reluctance to meet with him, since the current government in Ukraine has removed professional diplomats from the negotiation processes without offering a sensible alternative in return, says well-known diplomat Valeriy Chaly.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram.