Ukraine’s foreign minister resigns amid expected government change
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has resigned as part of a wider reshuffle of Ukraine’s cabinet.
Several Ukrainian officials also resigned on Tuesday, leaving some of the top government posts vacant, including the strategic industries minister in charge of arms production.
The parliamentary leader of the ruling party Servant of the People said that part of the Cabinet will be changed in a major change in the government this week.
Mr Kuleba, who is a senior minister to resign, has been in office since March 2020.
MP Inna Sovsun told the BBC there were “no questions” about Mr Kuleba’s performance and that he was unaware of any disagreements between him and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Ms. Sovsun said that if there is no parliamentary or presidential election suspended due to martial law, “changing the government is the best way to bring in new people, new ideas in the government that are needed at the moment. “.
Those who made their presentations on Tuesday included strategic industries minister Alexander Kamyshin, justice minister Denys Maliuska, environmental protection minister Ruslan Strilets, deputy prime ministers Olha Stefanishyna and Iryna Vereshchuk, and the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Vitaliy Koval.
One of the president’s top aides, Rostyslav Shurma, was also dismissed by presidential decree.
David Arakhamiya, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Servant of the People party, confirmed on Telegram that the “major government reset” will see more than half of the Cabinet of Ministers replaced, and that Thursday will be “nomination day”.
Speaking via video on Tuesday night, President Zelensky said state institutions “must be stopped so that Ukraine can achieve all the results we need”.
“This time we have to strengthen other areas in the government and changes have been made in his preparation. [president’s] in the office,” he said.
Opposition member of parliament Iryna Gerashchenko criticized the change of government, saying that this is “a government without ministers. A parliament without many people. A crisis of intelligence and personnel when the authorities ignore you.”
He called for a coalition government and the end of the power of President Zelensky’s team.
President Zelensky has reshuffled his government several times since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In May last year, he fired the defense minister Oleksii Reznikov after a series of corruption scandals, he fired the chief commander of Kyiv Valerii Zaluzhnyi earlier this year.
At least five government positions, including infrastructure and agriculture, have remained vacant since ministers stepped down or were fired earlier this year.
Mr Zelensky’s first term as president was due to end in May 2024, but he remains in office under martial law.
This shift coincided with Russia’s continued invasion of Ukrainian cities.
on tuesday, Russian strike in central Poltava kills 53 and injures 271 othersand on Wednesday seven people were killed in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
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