Italian
If there is a clear signal of how delicate the situation has become for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is the role taken on in recent hours by Andriy Yermak. The head of the Ukrainian president’s office has indeed jumped to the center of the international stage, becoming the face of Kyiv’s official response to the latest discussions on peace talks.
UKRAINE. In a lengthy interview with The Atlantic in the United States, Yermak—described as “Zelensky’s chief of staff, the main negotiator, and his closest advisor throughout the large-scale invasion”—strongly reiterated the position of the Ukrainian government: there will be no territorial concessions to Russia.
“No sane person would sign a document to cede territory today,” Yermak stated while speaking from Kyiv. “As long as Zelensky is President, no one can count on our territorial concession. He will never sign a cession of territory.”
Clear words, arriving just as the spotlight turns on the talks that took place over the weekend in Geneva. Yermak was directly involved in the discussions, confirming his central role in shaping the country’s diplomatic strategy.
In Geneva, Yermak met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presenting himself alongside the press at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and other international organizations. The image of the two side by side underscores the international dimension of the negotiations and the importance of American support in this critical moment.
As the war continues and the global debate intensifies on how a lasting peace can be achieved, Zelensky’s firm stance and that of his entourage signal that Ukraine is not willing to negotiate its territorial integrity. Yermak’s message, now more visible than ever on the world diplomatic stage, leaves no room for misunderstandings.
The issue is not only military or strategic, but deeply identity-related: for Kyiv, peace cannot come at the cost of losing sovereignty.
