Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a series of separate meetings this week with leaders of parliament factions and groups. The first time in years that he engaged faction leaders individually outside the pressure of a specific vote, European Solidarity leader Petro Poroshenko wrote on Facebook. The meetings were initiated at the request of faction leaders at the Rada's conciliation council.
Poroshenko: "Finally, face-to-face for first time in many years"
"Finally, for the first time in many years, our meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place face-to-face," Poroshenko wrote.
He said the parties agreed that such meetings would happen regularly and that dialogue would become permanent.
"In conditions when Ukraine is waging a war for survival, dialogue with parliament and restoration of its subjectivity is important. Too many challenges that can only be overcome together," he added.
Sources cite three drivers: arithmetic, style, external pressure
Three factors drove the shift, sources in the President's Office and opposition told Liga.net. The parliamentary arithmetic comes first: Servant of the People's mono-majority has eroded, and important legislation, from IMF conditionality to defense decisions, now needs votes beyond the ruling caucus.
Second, the communication climate from Bankova has noticeably softened since Budanov replaced Yermak.
Third: external pressure from IMF and EU conditions tied to funding, and security challenges sharpening before winter.
From Yermak's centralization to Budanov-era parliamentary contact
Yermak resigned on 28 November 2025 after Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau searched his apartment as part of Operation Midas, the embezzlement investigation centered on energy giant Energoatom.
On 11 May, anti-corruption agencies served him a suspicion notice for an alleged $10 million money-laundering scheme tied to elite Kyiv-area real estate development.
Under Yermak, the President's Office centralized decision-making to a degree that became a recurring complaint from faction leaders across the political spectrum, including from within Servant of the People itself. Whether this week's meetings translate into a sustained pattern or perform as one will be visible in what gets passed and how.
