Key facts
- Two Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that Yermak's back-channel with Wiles was 'troubling' and more harmful than helpful.
- An American government official also confirmed the characterization, according to the report.
- A source close to the Trump administration said Yermak misread the White House mood ahead of the Oval Office blowup.
- The source claimed Yermak stopped responding to Keith Kellogg to build ties with Steve Witkoff.
- Yermak resigned after Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau raided his home in November 2025, per the officials.
- Wiles resigned as Trump's chief of staff after the GOP lost both chambers in the midterms, per the report.
Andriy Yermak, the former head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, ran a back-channel with Susie Wiles, Trump's former chief of staff, that two Ukrainian officials described to the Kyiv Independent as "troubling" and more harmful than helpful. The channel began after Trump's inauguration in January 2025, when President Volodymyr Zelensky tasked Yermak with establishing contacts with high-level American officials, the officials said. An American government official also confirmed the characterization, according to the report.
One senior Ukrainian official said Yermak frequently misread Wiles and American communication style, treating polite non-commitments as firm pledges. "Susie would tell him 'I will see what I can do,' when asked about something, and Yermak would then go talk to the president, presenting this as his win," the official said. The misunderstandings created "several problems" that hampered Ukraine's relationship with the Trump administration, the officials said.
A source close to the Trump administration said the Oval Office blowup was largely a result of Yermak misreading the mood in the White House, and claimed former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg had tried to persuade Zelensky to avoid the meeting but was dismissed by Yermak. The source also claimed Yermak deliberately undermined Kellogg in mid-to-late 2025 as corruption allegations swirled, cutting contact to forge a closer relationship with Kellogg's replacement, Steve Witkoff. "At one point he just stopped responding to Kellogg even though he was still in his official position," the source said.