WASHINGTON, June 19. /TASS/. Head of Vladimir Zelensky's office Andrey Yermak rubs the administration of US President Donald Trump the wrong way, Politico reported, citing sources.
It said both Republicans and Democrats have grown weary of Yermak. One of the people familiar with Yermak’s interactions with the Trump administration described him as a "bipartisan irritator."
According to the newspaper, during his visit to Washington earlier this month, Zelensky's aide arrived without a clear agenda. "We don’t know why he’s here," a source said. Yermak's meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio was canceled at the last minute. Later the Ukrainian official managed to bump into Rubio in the White House corridors. Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles kept Yermak waiting in the White House before canceling, Politico wrote. Zelensky's office denies canceling both meetings.
People close to relations between Kiev and Washington describe Yermak's interaction with the administration of former President Joe Biden and the administration of the current American leader as very strained. Despite their general dislike of Yermak, the Biden administration has largely managed to contain its irritation, something that cannot be said about Trump and his aides, Politico said. Kiev is concerned that this tension could undermine Ukraine's position in relations with its most important partner.
Yermak was appointed head of Zelensky's office in 2020. In April, the British Economist magazine published a story saying Ukraine was concentrating power in the hands of unelected officials, and all existing checks and balances were being eliminated under the pretext of wartime. Besides Yermak, the publication named Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the office, and Dmitry Litvin, Zelensky's aide, among such officials.