A top Ukrainian official at the heart of peace talks was thrust Friday into the center of a massive corruption scandal, threatening to further weaken President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in negotiations to end Russia's war .

The home of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, was searched early Friday by investigators with Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau, the NABU, which is leading the $100 million kickback probe involving the country’s energy sector.

It capped a dramatic week, which began with Kyiv under intense pressure from President Donald Trump to endorse a plan that initially offered Moscow its core hardline demands. Ukrainian negotiators, led by Yermak, secured changes and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will now head to Russia for talks

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