Zelenskyy's chief of staff resigns amid corruption probe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who was also the country's lead negotiator in talks with the U.S.

This after Yermak's residence was searched by anti-corruption investigators.

Andriy Yermak would never be more than a step behind his leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

For 15 years since they met, the Ukrainian president was loyal to Yermak, promoting him to chief of staff in February, 2020.

That political bond has now been broken, with his name missing from the delegation to conduct the next round of peace talks with the US.

Zelenskyy was forced to act after anti-corruption officers searched Yermak's residence.

Zelenskyy knows that Russia is looking for any excuse to cast Ukraine as the problem amid tense negotiations.

He said: "To preserve our internal strength, there must be no reasons to be distracted by anything else except for the defence of Ukraine."

"I don't want anybody to be questioning Ukraine, and that's why we have today's decisions."

He said he was resetting the presidential office.

Two national agencies fighting corruption in Ukraine said their search targeted Yermak, who oversaw foreign affairs.

They are probing a 100 million US dollar energy sector scandal involving top Ukrainian officials that has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks.

Yermak had accompanied Zelenskyy on every trip abroad since the start of the conflict with Russia in February 2022, and the president's trust in him has made his power appear almost untouchable.

Ukrainians are largely in favour of Yermak's ousting. This man in Kyiv said there is no trust in Yermak, he came from nowhere and corruption is rife at government level.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow.

He said he was grateful to Orban for suggesting Budapest as a location for a October summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump, which was cancelled.

Putin earlier said the latest US peace proposal, in which Ukraine must give up territory, can form the foundations for future ceasefire negotiations.