Zelenskyy Faces Internal Graft Scandal and Secret US-Russia Peace Deal

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is confronting a simultaneous political, diplomatic, and military crisis. The United States and Russia have secretly drafted a 28-point peace proposal that would require Ukraine to cede the entire Donbas region and halve its military size. Zelenskyy characterized the dilemma as a choice between "losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner" in the U.S.

This diplomatic pressure coincides with a domestic upheaval sparked by Operation Midas. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine uncovered a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom. The scandal led to the dismissal of the ministers of justice and energy on November 19, 2025, and prompted demands from the ruling Servant of the People party for the resignation of Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak. Longtime associate Timur Mindich has fled the country to avoid arrest.

Militarily, Russia is intensifying its war of attrition, with forces advancing toward the logistics hub of Pokrovsk and pushing into the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Russian strikes on power plants have caused severe electricity shortages across the country. While Zelenskyy has secured short-term aid from France and Greece, Ukraine faces a critical financial shortfall by February unless the European Union approves an urgent loan.