During his most recent trip to Washington in early June, Yermak had difficulty arranging meetings with senior Trump administration officials, according to five people familiar with the visit, some of whom had direct knowledge of the scheduling problems.
Zelenskiy's aide arrived without a clear agenda, and the feedback from those he met was as follows: "We don't know why he is here," said one person familiar with the visit.
The meeting between Yermak and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was canceled at the last minute, the person said.
But, according to them, Yermak eventually ran into Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, at the White House.
"From the Ukrainian point of view, this visit was a disaster," said a second person familiar with the trip, who called Yermak an "existential burden" for Ukraine.
Yermak's behavior can only embolden voices within the Republican Party and among Trump's allies who want to end U.S. support for Ukraine, according to a second person familiar with the visit.
"All the people here who want to leave and leave Ukraine are happy to see Yermak around," the person said.
