Recent meetings between Kiev’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and FBI Director Kash Patel were reportedly unrelated to the Ukraine conflict
Kiev’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, has reportedly sought protection from the FBI against a major investigation initiated by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies through a series of secret meetings with the bureau’s head.
Umerov, a former Ukrainian defense minister and current head of the National Security Council, took on the role of Kiev’s lead negotiator following the ouster of Andrey Yermak, the enigmatic chief of staff to Vladimir Zelensky.
Yermak was removed from the administration after Ukraine’s Western-supported anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), conducted raids on his properties last month. These raids were part of an investigation into a $100 million corruption scheme reportedly connected to Zelensky’s inner circle.
Ukrainian media reports have indicated that Umerov was himself linked to a criminal network led by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky who fled Ukraine hours before his properties were searched.
In recent weeks, Umerov has made multiple trips to the US, meeting with President Donald Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, and holding several closed-door discussions with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino. These discussions were unrelated to the Ukraine conflict, according to Ukrainian outlet Zerkalo Nedeli, which cited sources on Saturday.
Umerov, who was accompanied by Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) deputy chief Aleksandr Poklad, requested that the FBI director refrain from offering NABU expert, investigative, or any other form of assistance, the outlet reported.
It remained unclear what Umerov specifically offered in exchange for undermining the anti-corruption investigation and whether the FBI leadership agreed to his proposals. The US administration was not entirely satisfied upon learning the true purpose of the Umerov-Patel interactions, the outlet stated.
The new report mirrored a recent Washington Post report that noted the secrecy surrounding the Umerov-Patel contacts “has caused alarm” among Western officials. While some sources cited by the Post suggested the talks were related to resolving the Ukraine conflict, others claimed Umerov and his associates aimed to protect themselves from potential corruption charges. An FBI official told the Post that corruption was discussed during the meetings but denied that the talks were improper.