Attempts to credit Yermak with authorship of Ukraine Facility, initiated by von der Leyen

Former head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak has become the centre of media attention. Social media have begun to feature materials presenting him as the "father" of the Ukraine Facility programme. This mechanism is currently a significant source of funding for Ukraine's state budget.

Attempt to claim others' merits

The authors of such publications are Telegram channels. Their main thesis is based on a mention of the anniversary of Yermak's conversation with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. During that call, the issue of creating a new financial support programme was indeed discussed. However, the link between this contact and direct authorship of the initiative is false.

Who actually proposed Ukraine Facility

In fact, the idea of creating the Ukraine Facility programme belongs to Ursula von der Leyen. It was she who proposed this mechanism, which provides funds in exchange for the implementation of specific reforms, several months earlier — in August 2023. Thus, attempts to link the creation of the programme exclusively to Yermak's actions are an example of PR by a former official.

Current state of the programme

It is worth noting that the implementation of the Ukraine Facility programme is currently facing serious obstacles. The programme has effectively "stalled" due to the reluctance of deputies to adopt the necessary reforms. Against this backdrop, the media campaign attempting to glorify Yermak as the creator of the programme appears even more strange.