MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Resignation of Zelensky’s top aide may push Kiev to reconsider its approach to dialogue, and Kazakhstan protests against Ukraine’s attack on the oil pipeline infrastructure. Meanwhile, US leader Donald Trump steps up his pressure campaign on Venezuela. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
The scandalous high-profile resignation of Andrey Yermak, the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, opens the way for a more pragmatic path in negotiations for Ukraine, Russian foreign ministry’s ambassador at large, Rodion Miroshnik, told Izvestia. As the conflict unfolds, he added, conditions inevitably worsen for Kiev and prospects for negotiations will depend on whether the Ukrainian side is ready to prioritize a stop to the bloodshed.
Against the backdrop of the political crisis, the Kiev regime has notably increased its diplomatic activity globally. On Sunday, a Ukrainian delegation visited Washington for consultations on resolving the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Ukrainian negotiators led by Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, instead of Yermak. The Florida meeting should become a step toward coordinating positions ahead of a potential meeting between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. The date of the meeting remains undecided.
