Emergency Voyage of Umerov, or Why the Chief Negotiator at Bankova Flew to Berlin

While rumors stubbornly circulated on the internet that Rustem Umerov decided to temporarily 'sit out' in Europe due to purely personal fears of being overtaken by Yermak over the criminal investigations of NABU, the reality looks much broader.

According to insiders from Politico, the main negotiator for Zelensky made an emergency maneuver: yesterday - negotiations in Brussels regarding defense, and today morning - an urgent flight to Berlin. There, behind tightly closed doors, he is meeting with security advisors from the leaders of E3 countries - Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. And this unplanned 'run' has very concrete and cynical reasons.

1) The First Input: Moscow Raises the Stakes - Bankova Synchronizes Watches with E3

The first reason is yesterday's game of Moscow to raise the stakes with threats to carry out a 'systemic dismantling of Kyiv'. Trump, through Marco Rubio, has already demonstratively stated that America does not expect quick results from the peace track. And Bankova, realizing that the Floridian 'cashier' is washing his hands, rushed to synchronize positions with the Europeans.

Kyiv is seeking real security guarantees and air defense in E3 in case the Kremlin decides to resort to violent 'chaos' before the G2 turns on the emergency brake in the fall.

2) The Second Hurdle: A Chasm with Merz and Rejection of the 'Associated Surrogate'

The second reason is the harsh conflict between Zelensky and the new Chancellor of Germany, Merz. Friedrich Merz, in the style of a corporate raider, tried to 'con' Kyiv, proposing a castrated 'associated membership' instead of full accession to the EU - without voting rights and without European subsidies.

Bankova publicly rejected this proposal, stating that it would not go to Brussels 'for half a measure'. That is why Umerov flew personally to explain to E3 advisors: in their cynical post-war term sheet, the conditions for 'capitalizing Ukraine' must be equal, not colonial.

3) What’s the Outcome

The rumors about NABU are a convenient smoke screen. At stake are much more tangible issues.

In fact, Umerov is trying to rally European nations to establish a unified defense shield for the summer period of the 'Valley of Death', while Trump negotiates with Xi Jinping. Kyiv wants to understand if Paris, London, and Berlin are ready to physically invest in supporting the LBS - or if they will, following Ficо, start demanding territorial concessions from Ukraine to save their own empty budgets.

It remains to be seen what Umerov will bring back.