Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba resigned on Wednesday, marking the highest-profile departure in a sweeping government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Ukraine faces a critical phase in its 30-month war against Russia.
Kuleba, 43, was one of Ukraine’s most prominent figures abroad after Zelenskiy, engaging with global leaders and advocating for military and political support in fluent English.
His resignation follows the departure of five other ministers on Tuesday, with more changes expected in the coming days. A senior Zelenskiy ally described the moves as the start of a government “reset” ahead of the challenging autumn and winter seasons.
Kuleba’s resignation letter was shared on Facebook by the speaker of parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. President Zelenskiy has emphasized that the reshuffle is essential to meet Ukraine’s current needs.
“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions should be configured so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need—for all of us,” Zelenskiy said on Tuesday.
The reshuffle comes as Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have launched a daring incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Moscow has increased drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, and Kyiv recently conducted a mass drone attack on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
On Tuesday, two missiles struck the central Ukrainian town of Poltava, killing at least 50 people, including soldiers, in the deadliest single attack of the war this year.
Later this month, Zelenskiy is set to travel to the United States to present a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden, a key ally. The Kremlin, however, stated that changes in the Ukrainian government would not affect the peace negotiation process, though talks remain unlikely as both sides hold conflicting goals.
Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak indicated that parliamentary committees would review the resignations, with parliamentary approval likely to follow. The new appointments could be confirmed as soon as Thursday.
Zelenskiy is expected to nominate his candidate for a new foreign minister on Wednesday, with First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha considered a leading contender.
Among those who resigned on Tuesday were Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, and the ministers of justice, environment, and reintegration. At least five other ministries, including agriculture and infrastructure, have been without ministers since earlier this year.
Opposition lawmaker Iryna Herashchenko criticized the current state of governance, describing it as a “government without ministers” and calling for a national unity administration to counter what she termed an “intellectual and personnel crisis.”
She urged for an end to the tight control of power held by Zelenskiy’s political team.
(Source: Reuters)
