Ukraine’s foreign minister resigns amid reshuffle in Zelensky’s administration
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba resigned on Wednesday, signaling a major reshuffling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, posted Kuleba’s resignation on his Facebook page, along with resignations of at least five other officials. Stefanchuk said the resignations would be considered at an upcoming plenary session of the parliament.
The resignations come as Kyiv is pushing for the U.S. to withdraw a ban on using long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory. It also follows a bold incursion by Ukraine into Russian territory last month. Ukraine now holds nearly 450 square miles of territory in Russia.
Moscow since then has increased the pace of its missile attacks across Ukraine, with Tuesday strikes against a military academy and other targets in Poltava killing 51 people and injuring hundreds. Russia has unleashed hundreds of missiles across Ukraine in the past few days, hitting the far-western city of Lviv and energy and water infrastructure.
Zelensky did not immediately comment on the resignations, but he described strengthening areas of the government in his Tuesday nightly address, saying “personnel decisions have been prepared” and “there will be changes in the office.”
“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions must be set up in such a way that Ukraine will achieve all the results we need — for all of us,” Zelensky said.
Kuleba was a key Ukrainian official on the international stage pushing for Western allies supporting Ukraine to increase their pledges of assistance.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Kuleba called for partner countries to send air defense systems to combat Russia’s ballistic missiles.
Others who resigned included Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, the former CEO of its railways and a key interlocutor with the U.S. in helping to revitalize Ukraine’s economy and build up its potential as a hub of military systems production.
Dalibor Roháč, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the political reshuffle is a feature of Zelensky’s leadership style to circulate people out and back into positions of authority.
“It has been a recurrent, if cautiously articulated, complaint, from the opposition that they are oftentimes left out and have little voice in shaping of policies that are then expected to command broad support,” he said.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament in the opposition European Solidarity party, said he is pushing for a national unity government. He criticized Zelensky’s ruling party as failing to deliver a strategic vision for the country and that the rash of changes only served to give the appearance of a change of direction.
“I think that the reasons why this or that minister left are different. Some of them want to leave themselves, they are just exhausted, some of them the president or prime minister they want to change them, but all of these things combine in such a one moment to show the big change in the government — it’s more internal politics to show to Ukrainian people that we will have a kind of new blood,” he told The Hill.
“But the problem of the government is not some concrete people, the problem of the Ukrainian government is, first of all it's super centralized. Yes it’s the time of war, martial law. But it’s too much. I want to see the government much more autonomous. The second problem is that the government doesn’t have a strategic vision and concept and program, they just run the country like day to day, that’s all. We need a strategy. … The best option is to create the national unity government to unite all forces, to tackle the challenges that we face.”
Date: | |
Tag: | Ukraine |
-
Financial Times - Business
Macron picks foreign minister Séjourné for EU commissioner after Breton quits
Von der Leyen offered France a more powerful job ‘as a political trade-off’ in return for replacing Thierry Breton1 hour ago - European Union -
The Guardian - World
France’s European commissioner resigns amid row with von der Leyen
Thierry Breton, who had been appointed for second term, cited von der Leyen’s ‘questionable governance’ in EU. France’s European commissioner, Thierry Breton, has resigned, citing “questionable ...1 hour ago -
BBC News - Top stories
Titanic shipyard to go into administration
Harland and Wolff confirms it is set to be placed into administration for the second time in five years.14 minutes ago -
Financial Times - World
Harland & Wolff appoints administrators to wind up company
Shipping group hopes to conclude a deal for its yards within weeks but sees ‘no return likely for shareholders’1 hour ago -
Financial Times - Business
How a far-right minister weaponised Israel’s police
Settler Itamar Ben Gvir was once a fringe figure. Now he is shaping internal security in a time of war3 hours ago - Israel -
Yahoo News - World
Israeli defence minister says time 'running out' for Hezbollah truce
3 hours ago - Israel -
The Hill - Politics
New York City Hall attorney resigns
New York City Hall’s chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, resigned from her post in Mayor Eric Adams’s administration, City Hall announced late Saturday night. Zornberg has served as the top lawyer for ...19 hours ago - New York -
The Hill - Politics
Dwindling Western influence amid uncertainty in the Sahel region
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have formed the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) to reject Western pressures and establish a defense pact, signaling a shift in West Africa's geopolitical landscape ...18 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
'October surprise': Democrats will have down-ballot reasons to cheer
Democrats are outperforming predictions in Senate and House races, potentially leading to a strong showing for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, and a chance for meaningful ...53 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Democrats are reclaiming the flag — and it’s about time
It's time for all Americans to take it back and display it as the symbol it was meant to be: the flag of one nation, indivisible.1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
Congressional task force requests Secret Service briefing
The heads of a congressional task force said Sunday they had requested a briefing from the Secret Service in the wake of another apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump. "The ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
Kamala Harris clearly won the debate. But will it matter?
Ultimately, the data highlights the fact that Harris’s debate performance, while impressive, is unlikely to drastically turn the tides in her favor.1 hour ago - Kamala Harris -
The Hill - Politics
Trump thanks law enforcement for 'incredible job' after assassination attempt
Former President Trump thanked law enforcement late Sunday for what he called an “incredible job” after another apparent assassination attempt. “I would like to thank everyone for your concern and ...2 hours ago - Donald Trump