Resignation proposal: what is behind the conflict between the head of Zelensky's administration and a member of the US Congress

Member of the lower house of the US Congress from the Republican Party Victoria Spartz called on the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak to resign.

The corresponding statement is posted on its website.

“For many Americans and Europeans, the personality of Mr. Yermak has long been a source of serious concern.

If Mr. Yermak had been a responsible politician, he, as a person with an already dubious reputation, would have resigned in the winter - after his statements, which assured the Ukrainian leadership that there would be no attack from Russia, and which lowered the level of readiness Ukraine.

However, it is not too late to do the right thing, ”said the congresswoman.

This statement was preceded by an absentee skirmish between Spartz and Kyiv, which was covered, among other things, by the American press.

So, on July 8, the politician sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, in which she actually accused Yermak of having ties with Moscow.

In addition, she demanded to check the facts that seemed to her doubtful from the biography of the head of the office of the Ukrainian leader.

“Based on the various intelligences we have received, as well as Mr. Yermak’s activities in Ukraine and his alleged dealings with Russia, it is imperative that Congress receive appropriate information as a matter of urgency to confirm or refute the various serious allegations,” Spartz said.

• Republican U.S. House of Representatives Victoria Spartz

• AP

• © Michael Conroy

Among the “suspicious” details of Yermak’s biography, the congresswoman named Oleg Tatarov’s invitation to the post of her deputy, who, according to her, had been postponing the appointment of an independent anti-corruption prosecutor for a year, which interfered with the work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

In addition, Spartz recalled that Tatarov himself had previously been under investigation by NABU, but his case was transferred to an ordinary prosecutor and then closed.

In addition, the congresswoman did not like the fact that Tatarov, during the years of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency, served as deputy head of the Main Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Spartz stressed that Washington should inform Volodymyr Zelensky about "concerns" related to people in his administration.

And commenting on the need for an audit, she explained that Congress obliges such “scrupulousness and accountability” to the American people to be “materially involved” in the conflict in Ukraine.

“President Zelensky is diligently building alliances with the West and our country, and we have a responsibility to inform him of any possible concerns we may have about key figures in his circle,” the politician said.

Kyiv's answer was not long in coming.

The representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, accused the congresswoman of arranging political games against the backdrop of an armed conflict.

The diplomat advised Spartz to stop trying to "make political capital on unfounded speculation".

According to Nikolenko, Spartz’s actions are an attempt to return “Russian propaganda narratives” about the connection of the Ukrainian leadership with Moscow to American politics and draw the country into US domestic politics.

He also urged congresswomen to stop undermining existing mechanisms for the provision of US military assistance to Ukraine, referring to the Spartz proposal to increase control over the supply of military equipment to Kyiv and create a mechanism for overseeing critical infrastructure.

In response, the Republican accused Yermak and his “puppets” of conducting a campaign to discredit her.

She also dismissed the suggestion that increased arms control could slow down military aid to Kyiv.

“Some have suggested that additional oversight is fraught with delays in the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On the contrary, the lack of supervision contributes to delays, and with proper organization of supervision and logistics, the speed and efficiency (of deliveries. -

) will only increase, ”the politician emphasized. 

It is worth noting that Spartz was born in the Chernihiv region of the Ukrainian SSR and became the first Ukrainian woman to enter the American Congress.

In a number of media, she is called one of the main Ukrainian lobbyists in the United States.

"Block any possible dialogue"

This is not the first time the incumbent head of the office of the President of Ukraine has been accused of working for Moscow.

Prior to this, such rumors were actively discussed after the story of the detention of 33 Russians in Belarus in 2020.

As it turned out later, it was an operation organized by Kyiv with the participation of the CIA in order to complicate Russian-Belarusian relations.

However, the intelligence plan was thwarted.

Yermak was blamed for his failure in Ukraine, who even had to give evidence in connection with this at the State Bureau of Investigation.

However, the investigation then did not find any guilt behind him.

Experts believe that even now the accusations against Yermak are most likely unfounded.

“Such accusations still require evidence: put a folder with a full investigation, evidence base on the table,” political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev said in an interview with RT.

• Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak

• Gettyimages.ru

• © STR/NurPhoto

At the same time, analysts believe that Spartz's attacks on Yermak may be caused by several factors.

In particular, a congresswoman may indeed be trying to raise political capital in this way.

“Spartz decided to do a PR for herself and chose the head of Zelensky’s office for this.

No one took this seriously, but it hit the front pages of the news, ”Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, said in a comment to RT.

A similar opinion is shared by Andrei Suzdaltsev.

“She is a relatively young congresswoman and, of course, she is striving to move further along the parliamentary career line - she may even go to the senator,” the political scientist noted.

In turn, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, believes that the US administration may be behind the campaign against Yermak.

“Yermak is striving to find at least some balanced position that leaves at least in theory a place for dialogue with Russia.

The United States, on the other hand, seeks to block any possible dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv and seeks only military actions from Ukraine, which is why Yermak's position is alarming.

In this regard, they would like to compromise him in front of Zelensky and other members of the Kyiv regime, weaken his influence or even ensure that he is fired, ”said the RT interlocutor.

According to him, for these purposes, the US leadership can use Spartz.

“The practice is quite common in the American administration when its interests are expressed by oppositionists from the second party.

Such an oppositionist speaks out loudly about anything that gives the administration a reason to act.

So, it seems to me that this whole story is a political confrontation between Washington and those people in the leadership of Ukraine who are still striving for some kind of sanity, ”Olenchenko believes. 

Intraspecific struggle

Experts also do not exclude that the campaign against Yermak may be a manifestation of the struggle in Zelensky's entourage.

According to them, other signs testify to the presence of serious disagreements within the Kyiv regime.

Political analysts recalled that a possible conflict between Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny is being actively discussed in the Ukrainian media and social networks.

One example of disagreement between them was the story of the order to prohibit conscripts from leaving their place of residence without the permission of the military registration and enlistment office.

This decision of the General Staff caused violent indignation in Ukrainian society.

Zelensky said that the document was allegedly not agreed with him, and promised to look into it, after which Zaluzhny announced the cancellation of the order and its revision.

The existence of a conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny was also announced by the ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Ilya Kiva.

In his Telegram channel, he said that the President of Ukraine had instructed the head of the Counterintelligence Department of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad, to “find or form a case of accusations” against Zaluzhny in connection with the loss of territories.

According to him, in Zelensky's office they are looking for a scapegoat who can be blamed for failures at the front.

• Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny

• AP

• © Gleb Garanich/Pool Photo

In addition, Kiva claims that Ukrainian military leaders allegedly entered into negotiations with former President Petro Poroshenko, who is a defendant in a treason case.

The ex-deputy of the Rada believes that an active phase of internal struggle is beginning in the country.

However, it is worth noting that Poroshenko himself left the territory of Ukraine in May.

In addition to defeats at the front, another reason for criticism of Zaluzhny was the shortage of body armor in parts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrainian journalists in opposition to Zelensky Yuriy Butusov and Sergey Vysotsky.

Analysts believe that as the situation at the front worsens, the differences in Kyiv will increase.

“Everyone in the Ukrainian administration understands that they will have to leave.

The psychosis and hysteria that we observe stems from this.

There are members of the Ukrainian administration who are already worried about their future: first of all, this is Zelensky, who has “attached” his family a long time ago and has an alternate airfield.

This is Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov.

But there are those who want to stay in Ukraine.

Such a difference in approaches can also be the basis for conflicts,” Vladimir Olenchenko explained.

The expert believes that soon the leadership of Ukraine will be even more actively looking for who can be held responsible for the defeat.

“Most likely, it will be the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the military-industrial complex as a whole.

I think the Zelensky administration is working hard to pin all the sins on them before leaving for other regions, ”the analyst noted.

Returning to the topic of the conflict between Yermak and Spartz, experts noted that this story, most likely, will not have any far-reaching consequences.

However, this case is a clear example of how Ukraine began to influence US policy.

“There is an interesting trend here.

Washington, having organized unprecedented support for Ukraine from its allies, obviously went too far, making the leadership of Ukraine and its representatives practically untouchable.

They felt irresponsible and began to be rude.

Vivid examples are the behavior of the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Melnyk, and Zelensky's teachings.

The behavior of Spartz also fits into this line.

She, a representative of the Ukrainian diaspora and a Kyiv lobbyist, decided to determine who is good and who is bad in the leadership of Ukraine.

That is, to paraphrase a well-known expression, the Ukrainian tail began to wag the big dog of the Western world,” Vladimir Zharikhin concluded.