Last month, Trump said that the corruption scandal in Kyiv that forced Zelensky to sack his chief of staff and top negotiator was not helping the talks to end the war. 

‘US not idiot with chequebook’: Trump Jr warns POTUS may abandon Ukraine war

Despite playing a key role in negotiations, Zelensky’s chief of staff is a divisive figure in the country. His opponents have accused him of accumulating power, gate-keeping access to the president, and ruthlessly sidelining critical voices.

Ukraine rocked by corruption scandal: Zelensky’s top negotiator raided in alleged $100mn scheme

Officials in Ukraine said on Tuesday (May 16) that they have detained the head of the country’s Supreme Court in a $2.7 million bribery inquiry. This comes as the war-torn country is pursuing anti-graft measures which are vital to meet the conditions for joining the European Union.

Ukraine detains Supreme Court chief in $2.7 million corruption case

Five regional governors and four deputy ministers have been dismissed in Ukraine over the corruption scandal that propped up over the weekend, an official said. They include the heads of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the northeastern Sumy region, the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as the region surrounding the capital Kyiv, according to Oleg Nemchinov, a senior government official.

Five regional governors, four deputy ministers dismissed over corruption scandal in Ukraine