A high-level Ukrainian delegation met with representatives of top U.S. weapons manufacturers ahead of a highly anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The delegation was led by the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, the so-called “Green Cardinal,” one of the most powerful men in Ukraine. Accompanied by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhii Kyslytsia, and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, the delegation met with representatives from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, two of the biggest U.S. weapons manufacturers.
In a post on Telegram, Yermak praised the help of the companies in Ukraine’s war with Russia.
“Their technologies save lives: F-16s and modern air defense systems protect the Ukrainian sky, and their offensive solutions reliably support our forces on the front line,” he said, in reference to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The F-16 was designed by Lockheed Martin.
“Every downed Russian missile or destroyed enemy command post proves the quality of American weapons and the professionalism of our warriors. Our cooperation continues to grow,” he added.
Notably, Raytheon is the sole producer of the Tomahawk cruise missile, the item in the U.S. arsenal that Ukraine covets the most. While Raytheon produces many of the weapons Ukraine now uses, the meeting could hint at Trump approving the shipment during or after his Friday meeting with Zelensky.
Due to the technical complexity of the Tomahawk, Kyiv will need the assistance of Raytheon and the U.S. military to effectively use the missile.
Yermak’s leading of the delegation highlights the importance Kyiv has placed upon the visit, hinting that a decision in favor of sending some Tomahawks to Ukraine is likely.
Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, told the Financial Times that the U.S. could realistically only supply about 20 to 50 Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Such a number “will not decisively shift the dynamics of the war.”
Nevertheless, the Yermak-led delegation’s visit comes at a key junction in U.S. support for Ukraine, as Trump looks to force Russia to the negotiating table by heavily backing the embattled country.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged “more firepower” for Ukraine through NATO on Wednesday at a NATO Defense Ministers Summit, primarily through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative, which has led to $2 billion pledged for weapons for Ukraine so far. He held off on an announcement regarding Tomahawk missiles until the Trump-Zelensky meeting.
Yermark is widely considered the second-most powerful man in the country, with his “Green Cardinal” nickname alluding to the unprecedented power of Cardinal Richelieu, the de facto ruler of early 17th-century France. Though he has never occupied a diplomatic post, he is effectively the country’s No. 1 diplomat. This has led to clashes with the foreign ministry in the past.
While it does not exist in the Ukrainian Constitution, the position of head of the Office of the President, providing Yermak with unchecked power, has ample historical precedent. Dmitry Tabachnik and Viktor Medvechuk played this role for former President Leonid Kuchma; Viktor Baloga for former President Viktor Yushchenko; Sergei Levochkin for former President Viktor Yanukovych; and Boris Lozhkin for former President Petro Poroshenko. All likewise formed reputations as schemers, many of them broadly unpopular.
Yermak has emerged as the most powerful of them, partially due to the Russian invasion. He enjoys the unparalleled trust of Zelensky, having become friends shortly after meeting in 2011 when Yermak was a media copyright lawyer and Zelensky a comedian, actor, and producer. Their personal closeness helped Yermak rise from presidential adviser in 2019 to head of the Office of the President in February 2020. His undefined role helped him consolidate power and appoint loyalists in key positions, as well as leading prewar negotiations with Moscow.
HEGSETH PLEDGES ‘MORE FIREPOWER’ FOR UKRAINE BUT HOLDS OFF TOMAHAWK COMMITMENTS
Yermak’s secretive nature and unchecked power have made him enemies in all parts of the Ukrainian political scene. Different conspiracy theories claim that he is a Kremlin agent, British agent, oligarchic agent, or Ukrainian deep-state agent. His takeover or stifling of corruption agencies has made him a hated figure among anticorruption reformers in Ukraine and the West more generally.
He has also earned enemies abroad. Over a dozen sources speaking with Politico said the Trump and Biden administrations had quickly grown annoyed with Yermak over his abrasive and demanding style. One source referred to him as a “bipartisan irritator.”
