The Minister of Foreign Affairs of UkraineDmytro Kuleba resigned on Wednesday, the most senior official to leave his post so far in a major government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a crucial moment in the 30-month war with Russia.
After Zelenskiy, Kuleba, the 43-year-old foreign minister, was Ukraine’s best-known face abroad, meeting leaders around the world and lobbying for military and political support in fluent English.
More departures and appointments are expected in the coming days, especially after five ministers stepped down on Tuesday. A senior Zelenskiy ally sees the move as the beginning of a “reset” of the government in preparation for the cold autumn and winter seasons.
Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk posted the foreign minister's resignation letter on Facebook. Zelenskiy said the government needed changes in order to achieve the results Ukraine demanded.
“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. Our state institutions must be set up so that Ukraine achieves all the results we need – for all of us,” he said on Tuesday.
Escalation of war: Diplomacy in check
Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian troops have made a daring incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
Moscow has stepped up drone and missile strikes in recent weeks and Kiev launched a massive drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure over the weekend.
On Tuesday, two missiles killed at least 50 people, including soldiers, in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava in the deadliest attack of this year's war.
This month, Zelenskiy travels to the United States, where he hopes to present a “victory plan” to US President Joe Biden, a key ally.
The Kremlin has said that the government changes in Ukraine would not affect the peace negotiation process in any way. Although such talks seem a distant prospect, with the two warring parties far apart in their goals.
According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, parliamentary committees will consider the resignations. Then the parliament will vote on them, which is usually a formality. They will probably approve the new appointments as early as Thursday.
Source: Olena Harmash | Notícias Agrícolas
