Ukraine’s foreign minister Kuleba resigns ahead of war cabinet reshuffle

Kyiv: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage, submitted his resignation on Wednesday before an expected Cabinet reshuffle.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had indicated last week that a Cabinet reshuffle was imminent, while the head of his party in parliament said Tuesday that half of the current ministers were likely to be replaced.

Ukraine is facing new major challenges in the war, as it struggles to hold back Russian gains in the east of the country and seeks to disrupt Moscow’s plans with its recent incursion into the neighbouring Kursk region.

Kuleba, 43, didn’t give a reason for stepping down and his resignation will be discussed by lawmakers at their next session, parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on his Facebook page. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that a Cabinet reshuffle was imminent last week as he tries to strengthen the government 2½ years into the war.

During Russia’s war in Ukraine, Kuleba has been second only to Zelenskyy in carrying Ukraine’s message and needs to an international audience, whether through social media posts or meetings with foreign dignitaries. In July, Kuleba became the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to visit China since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022. He has been foreign minister since March 2020.

Russian attacks, meanwhile, killed at least seven people and wounded 35 others in an overnight strike on Lviv, Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said Wednesday morning. A child and a medical worker were among the dead and others are in critical condition, he said.

An overnight strike also wounded five people in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, regional head Serhii Lysak said Wednesday morning.

Zelenskyy reacted to the attacks by urging Ukraine’s allies to give Kyiv “more range” to use Western weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.

The attack happened a day after two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy and nearby hospital in Poltava in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others, Ukrainian officials said, in one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began. (AP)