FAKE: Yermak to meet with Trump because Zelenskyi has lost his credibility – USA TODAY

Users referencing a report by USA TODAY have been spreading claims that the Head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, will travel to the U.S. to meet with Trump instead of Ukraine’s President. The claim implies that Yermak is a potential successor to Zelenskyi and that the current president has lost all authority.

However, this is false. USA TODAY did not publish such a video. Yermak did not meet with Trump but only with representatives of his administration. Subsequently, on December 7, Zelenskyi and Trump met in Paris. There are no reports of any upcoming visit by Yermak to the U.S.

There is no such video on USA TODAY’s website or social media accounts. Neither Yermak, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine nor Trump’s administration announced any plans for Yermak to meet with Trump personally. Additionally, no Ukrainian or international media outlets reported on this.

CNN, citing its sources, reported that on December 4, a Ukrainian delegation that included Yermak met with newly elected U.S. Vice President JD Vance and future National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. The main topic of discussion was the situation on the frontlines.

According to the Office of the President, the delegation also held meetings with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Senate Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Lindsey Graham, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and others. However, neither the Presidential Office nor the media mentioned any plans for Yermak to meet with Trump. There is also no information about any new planned visits by Yermak to the U.S.

Even this visit does not imply that the U.S. views Yermak as the next president of Ukraine. Furthermore, the claim that Zelensky is “not taken seriously” and that Trump is only willing to negotiate with a new Ukrainian administration is a fabrication. On December 7, following Yermak’s U.S. visit, Zelenskyi, Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris. While the meeting was private, sources cited by Reuters stated that Trump did not express any grievances about negotiating with Zelenskyi.

On December 16, the newly elected U.S. president stated that he would continue dialogue with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to end the war. “We’re trying to get it. Well, we’re going to see. We’ll be talking to President Putin and we’ll be talking to representatives, Zelenskyi and representatives from Ukraine. We got to stop it. It’s a carnage,” he said. On December 17, Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that he would communicate with Trump directly, without intermediaries from within or outside the country.

The edited video circulated online is a typical example of a Russian disinformation campaign: creating fake content with the logos of well-known media outlets. Previously, we debunked other fakes allegedly published by USA TODAY.