Ukrainian President's Office Head hits Politico's annual ranking, gets called "Kyiv's green cardinal"
Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, was included in the ranking of the most influential people in Europe according to Politico in the category of Doers. Yermak himself was called the "green cardinal" of Ukraine.
Source: Politico
Quote: "Andrii Yermak is reportedly known in some circles as Kyiv’s ‘Green Cardinal.’ That’s because Yermak is the head of office to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose last name relates to an East Slavic word for ‘green’ — and also because he has a habit of attending photo-ops in the military-inspired khaki outfits his boss popularised…
Yermak is the mastermind behind Kyiv’s push to engage with developing countries in a bid to wrestle them away from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warm (and oil-rich) embrace.
With Zelenskyy’s own foreign travel limited, Yermak has taken business trips around the world on his boss’s behalf, meeting top-level foreign officials, conducting negotiations and striking deals (which, under Ukraine’s constitution, ought to be the remit of the president, not his No. 2)."
Details: The publication notes that in 2024, Zelenskyy may face a re-election campaign in the middle of the war, and "the prospect of the prolonged invasion eroding public morale at home," making Yermak "ever more important as the president’s dealmaker — and his shock-absorber."
Yermak's possibly greatest achievement is "getting China to the negotiating table during last August’s Saudi-hosted peace talks."
His other salient achievement as co-chair of the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions, also known as the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group, was to intensify and broaden anti-Russian sanctions alongside former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.
As the main figure in Zelenskyy's war cabinet, Yermak has accumulated enormous – some would say excessive – power as Ukraine prepares to join the EU and NATO and fights for its territory. He allows the president to keep his hands (and his reputation) spotless while essentially controlling the government and parliament of Ukraine.
Reference: Politico annually publishes its own ranking of the most influential people in Europe. In addition to the most influential person on the continent, the list is divided into three categories: Doers, Disruptors and Dreamers.
Currently, the publication has published general lists in each category but did not name those who topped the rating and became the most influential person in Europe and the leader of each of the categories.
Last year, the most influential person in Europe according to the publication was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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