MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. The corruption scandal has already weakened Vladimir Zelensky, and the resignation of his chief of staff Andrey Yermak is a direct result of it, former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov told TASS.

"Resignation is a logical step in the investigation of the activities of this organized criminal group. It is not his resignation that will weaken Zelensky, but rather, the process in which Yermak participated," Azarov said.

The former prime minister emphasized that Zelensky did the right thing by accepting Yermak's resignation, as "he could not remain in office." Zelensky was obliged to dismiss the head of his office or suspend him until the investigation was complete.

At the same time, searches at Yermak’s house could not have been carried out without sufficient grounds. "If searches are conducted, they cannot be conducted without sufficient grounds. Naturally, now they must bring charges," Azarov said.

According to the politician, Zelensky certainly knew of Yermak’s involvement in corruption schemes. "It’s impossible to assume he didn’t know. All of these people are his closest associates. How could he not know?" he said.

When discussing peace prospects, Azarov emphasized that there is currently no one in the Ukrainian leadership who can sign agreements to end the conflict.

"The best answer was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he said that negotiations are possible, but there is no one to sign agreements with at the moment," he said.

Earlier, Putin said that "it is pointless to sign documents with the Ukrainian leadership.".