Ukraine will not hand over any of its territory to Russia under a future peace deal, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff and lead negotiator, Andriy Yermak.
In an interview with The Atlantic, he outlined Kyiv’s stance ahead of the next round of talks.
“Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory,” Yermak said, stressing that Zelensky “will not sign away territory” under any circumstances.
“The constitution prohibits this. Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.”
According to Yermak, Kyiv is prepared only to discuss where the current front line should be formally demarcated.
“All we can realistically talk about right now is really to define the line of contact,” he said.
Negotiators recently pared back several major Russian demands, but the issue of land remains the central obstacle.
Despite progress on other points of the draft agreement, the Russian position – which includes territorial claims on regions its forces do not control – remains unchanged.
The talks come as Kyiv faces domestic pressure after a major corruption investigation triggered calls for senior officials to resign. A European diplomat recently told The Atlantic that “Zelensky needs to clean [his] house… and he should start with Yermak.”
Yermak addressed the investigation and the growing calls for him to resign, speaking in detail for the first time.
He acknowledged the scale of the scrutiny, saying “The pressure is enormous… The case is fairly loud, and there needs to be an objective and independent investigation without political influence.”
Ukrainians, he said, “see that I have been beside the president all these years during all the most difficult, tragic, and dangerous moments.”
Zelensky has entrusted him with negotiations “that will decide the fate of our country,” he added. “And if people support the president, that should answer all their questions.”
Notably, Investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) launched searches in the government quarter on Thursday morning, targeting Yermak.
Ukrainska Pravda outlet first reported the development, noting journalists filmed around 10 NABU and SAPO officers entering the government quarter.
Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the Holos party confirmed the searches on Telegram: “NABU and SAPO are conducting searches at Andriy Yermak this morning. If anything, get ready to defend NABU/SAPO if necessary.”
Yermak confirmed the searches in a Telegram post at 9.46 a.m.:
“Today, NABU and SAPO are indeed conducting procedural actions at my home. There are no obstacles for the investigators. My lawyers are on site, interacting with law enforcement officers. From my side, I am providing full assistance.”
Neither NABU nor SAPO has commented officially.