Zelensky Shortlists 5 Candidates to Head Ukraine’s Presidential Office

On Dec. 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a shortlist of five contenders to replace Andriy Yermak as head of the President’s Office following the latter’s resignation on Nov. 28.

The candidates under consideration are Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, the Digital Transformation minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, the first deputy foreign minister, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Deputy Presidential Office head Pavlo Palisa.

Yermak, widely seen as one of Zelensky’s closest aides, stepped down hours after anti-corruption authorities raided his home as part of a probe into a $100-million kickback scheme tied to Ukraine’s energy sector.

Investigators have said the scheme coincided with a surge in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, which caused blackouts and threatened winter heating.

The chief of staff’s resignation came just two days before he was expected to lead Ukraine’s negotiating team in the United States, having previously led several delegations, leaving a power vacuum behind.

Zelensky praised the caliber of all of the candidates while speaking to journalists in London on Monday, but said that the most significant issue at hand was who would take over their current positions.

“I don’t want it to be like in a game of Jenga, when you pull out one piece and everything falls apart,” Zelensky said, according to the BBC.

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Zelensky said the move is important in the context of laying the groundwork for long-term social unity.

“We need to make a choice. If it takes a long time, I think I can manage on my own without a head of the Office of the President; I can live without one,” he added.

On Dec. 5, Zelensky said that he had held additional meetings with prospective candidates to take over Yermak’s role.

“We discussed the formats of the Office’s work and the interaction with other state institutions that is necessary for Ukraine’s interests. A decision regarding the new head of the Office will be made in the near future,” he said at the time.