Yakiv Smoliy’s resignation as head of Ukraine’s central bank last week came after nine months of pressure from President Zelenskiy to cut interest rates and to print more money.

Yakiv Smoliy’s resignation as head of Ukraine’s central bank last week came after nine months of pressure from President Zelenskiy to cut interest rates and to print more money. “I realized I had to ask the president if I should resign – he said yes,” Smoliy tells LB.ua of his June 30 meeting with Zelenskiy. “We are all adults. I just realized I had to go….I understood from the context that I had to resign.”