Government reshuffle in Ukraine underway. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba resigned

Brussels – The government reshuffle announced by Volodymyr Zelensky to close ranks in view of the winter makes its first illustrious victim: the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has submitted his resignation. This was announced by the speaker of the Kyiv Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. “The Parliament will consider his resignation during one of its upcoming meetings,” he added.

Kuleba, who since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has managed diplomatic relations with Kyiv’s allies at the highest level, is only the latest in an already substantial list of members of Zelensky’s government who have left office in the last 24 hours. Before him, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna, Justice Minister Denys Malyuska, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, and Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin quit.

Last night (Sept. 3), Zelensky announced the upcoming reshuffle, which was painted as a “political reset” of the president’s inner circle to strengthen the government. “The autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine, and our state institutions must be set up in such a way that we can achieve all the results we need—for all of us. To do this, we need to strengthen some government areas, and personnel decisions have been prepared. There will also be changes in the president’s office,” the Ukrainian leader had disclosed.

The slew of resignations overlapped with tragic news from the war front: at least seven people were reportedly killed this morning in a Moscow-led missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Lviv, including three minors. From Russia came the sarcastic commentary on the government reshuffle in Kyiv through the words of Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: “It’s autumn, the leaves are falling, and the branches are showing naked,” she told the Tass news agency.