NEW FOREIGN MINISTER
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s popular foreign minister, was the most prominent departure in the reshuffle, making way for his deputy Andriy Sybiga.
Sybiga, 49, a career diplomat who speaks English and Polish, also had a stint in the presidential office and is seen as closer to Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
Kuleba had been the face of Ukrainian diplomacy abroad, pressing the West to come to Kyiv’s aid after Russia invaded and keep up the supply of billions of dollars worth of weapons.
Ukraine’s Parliament voted on Thursday to approve the changes.
According to AFP sources, Kuleba did not want to resign but had been under pressure from Yermak and has been criticised for the functioning of his ministry.
While Kuleba’s diplomatic skills were recognised, his removal was also part of a bid by the presidency to exert a tighter grip on foreign policy, sources suggested.
“He was giving interviews, speaking beautifully, going on trips, this handkerchief in his jacket. He was engaged in self-promotion, instead of improving the work of embassies, working systematically on countries and getting their support,” a source in Zelenskyy’s circle said.
In an address to lawmakers on Thursday, Sybiga appeared to reference those criticisms of his former boss, saying success in the role was about “the result, not self-promotion and social media posts.”
He added that Ukraine needed “both long-range weapons and far-sighted foreign policy” to be victorious on the battlefield.
“How quickly we will come to victory depends on how well-coordinated our actions are both on the battlefield and in the international arena,” he said.
Source: CNA
