BREAKING

Zelensky mulls firing Ukraine's foreign minister

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Mar 2024 09:49
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly dissatisfied with his foreign minister's diplomacy.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, 2022 (AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering firing his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Strana reported on Friday citing a source in the president's office.

Kuleba, aged 42, has served as the foreign minister since March 2020. Before assuming this role, he was the deputy prime minister for Euro-Atlantic integration and as the country's envoy to the Council of Europe.

“There are a lot of questions for Kuleba,” the unnamed source told the outlet. “In particular, there are a lot of complaints regarding the candidacies of ambassadors provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Zelensky’s office is “generally dissatisfied with the diplomatic service."

OIeg Nikolenko, the chief spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, resigned on Friday, making the announcement through a social media post with a picture of him and Kuleba. He didn't specify the reasons behind his decision.

Zaluzhny new UK ambassador

Zelensky named earlier this week General Valery Zaluzhny as Ukraine's new envoy to the UK, a month after being removed from his position as the country's commander-in-chief. Zaluzhny came to fill the position left vacant since July 2023, when the president fired then-ambassador Vadim Pristayko for criticizing his behavior during the NATO summit.

According to Strana, the “most likely candidate” to be the country's top diplomat is Igor Zhovkva, Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff.

Kuleba’s current deputy is Andrey Melnik, Kiev's former envoy to Germany.

He gained notoriety during his time in Berlin for his overtly undiplomatic behavior, which included insulting the host country by calling Chancellor Olaf Scholz an "offended liver sausage" and cursing at Tesla's Elon Musk, who is providing the invaluable Starlink satellite services to Ukraine.

Melnik was ultimately recalled in November 2022, following his praise of WWII Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera during a podcast.

Upon his return to Kiev, Melnik was, however, rewarded with a promotion to deputy foreign minister, a position he retained even after being appointed ambassador to Brazil by Zelensky last June.