The Ukrainian president reorganizes the government

2024-09-07 18:43:31, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Ukrainian president reorganizes the government

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukraine now has a new foreign minister, one of the latest decisions by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he makes a comprehensive reshuffle of his government cabinet, the first since Russia's attack on Ukraine began in 2022. Voice correspondent of America for Eastern Europe Myroslava Gongadze brings us details on the appointment of nine new ministers as part of this reorganization.

Two and a half years after the start of Russia's attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian parliament supported President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's initiative to change the government. President Zelenskyy says that this change is necessary to strengthen Ukraine and improve the functioning of government institutions.

The decision on a key appointment was made on Thursday, when parliament approved President Zelenskyy's proposal to appoint diplomat and former deputy chief of presidential staff Andrii Sybiha as Ukraine's foreign minister.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was Ukraine's face in the world until now, resigned on Wednesday.

"It will be a great loss. He had very good relations with our partners abroad and had very good communication skills. It will be a real challenge for the new appointee because everyone will compare him to Dmitry Kuleba," said the former deputy foreign minister of Ukraine, Olena Zerkal.

While nine ministers take up their new posts as part of this reshuffle, experts say no major changes in political trends are expected.

"The main thing we need to understand is that it is not about appointing new people to the government. So, people are not being replaced within the team, but there is just a reorganization. Therefore, there will be no change in political tendencies", says Valeriy Pekar at the Kyiv School of Public Administration.

No major changes are expected in the war either.

"Ukraine's ability to fight depends on military personnel, and fortunately this time we will not see significant changes in this area. We also depend on our ability to manufacture certain products locally and support our local economy. In this respect, I do not foresee any changes because the Ministry of Finance remains the same", says Ms. Zerkal.

Ukraine has not held elections since the start of the war, and one analyst says some leadership changes are needed.

"There have been violations, bad governance and these new changes will help improve governance. So I hope that all these changes will improve Ukraine's ability to defend itself and fight against Russia."

According to recent polls conducted by the Razumkov Center and the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives, most Ukrainians believe that the Office of the President is overstepping its mandate to influence other branches of government.

The reaction of the residents of Kiev was mixed.

"These people are just a facade; nothing depends on them. Everything depends on the president," says Ludmila, a resident of Kyiv.

"The state is developing. We are in different processes and let's say that I believe that the state will benefit from new people with new ideas", says Anton, another resident of Kyiv.

"There will be no significant changes; only they are switching the roles of the main players. Therefore, I would not call these changes drastic. It is only about a reorganization", according to the resident of Kiev, Andriy.

The reshuffle comes at a pivotal time in Ukraine's war. Ukrainian forces are holding under their control the occupied Russian territory in the Kursk region, and Russia has increased attacks on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure ahead of the winter, which is expected to be difficult./ VOA