The parliament in Kyiv on Thursday afternoon approved President Volodymy Zelenskyi’s election as Ukraine’s new foreign minister. It is thus clear that Andrii Sybiha will take over from Dmytro Kuleba as the country’s top diplomat. The new minister is a career diplomat who has also worked with foreign policy for several years at the president’s office. NEW FACE: The new Ukrainian foreign minister is called Andrii Sybiha. Photo: Ukrinform Analysts say, according to Reuters, that they do not expect major changes in Ukraine’s foreign policy after this shift. Major changes These are the biggest changes in the Ukrainian government since Russia started the war against the country two and a half years ago. It is expected that a total of eight new ministers will be appointed. On Thursday afternoon, Olha Stefanishyna and Oleksiy Kuleba were appointed as new deputy prime ministers. Ever since last winter, there have been rumors that there would be major changes in the country’s leadership. THE YOUNGEST FOREIGN MINISTER IN UKRAINE: Dmytro Kuleba (TV) tendered his resignation this week. He was foreign minister from March 2020, he was then only 43 years old. Photo: Reuters This week the president said that there was a need for “new energy”. – Autumn will be extremely important. Our state institutions must be structured so that Ukraine can achieve all the results needed, the Ukrainian president said this week. Hardly major changes in policy Zelenskyj is known to be an impatient politician. He demands that those around him give their best, preferably all the time. NO PATIENT MAN: President Zelenskyj inspects trenches at the front. Photo: AFP But why are the replacements coming right now? – It probably has more to do with internal conditions in Ukraine than with political disagreement, says Tor Bukkvoll, who is chief researcher at the Defense Research Institute, to news. He points out that Zelenskyj has faith in bringing in new people with new ideas now that the country is in a very demanding situation. NEW EXPERIENCED PEOPLE: Researcher Oleksandra Deineko does not believe that there will be major changes in Ukrainian politics after the major replacements. Photo: Sonja Balci / OsloMet Researcher Oleksandra Deineko at NIBR Oslo Met emphasizes that the president is not afraid to make changes among the key people around him. – Most likely, Zelenskyj wants to strengthen the government in front of the challenges that the country faces this autumn, she says to news. According to Deineko, most of the new appointees are quite experienced people. They mostly come from other important positions in the state apparatus. – The replacements do not mean a radical change in the political course in Ukraine, believes the researcher. The challenges of the war in eastern Ukraine, the war is not going as the Ukrainians would like. There are constant reports that the Russian forces are taking new villages and approaching the strategically important town of Pokrovsk. HARD FIGHTING: Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. But there are constant reports that the Russians are approaching the important city of Pokrovsk. Photo: Reuters Here are main roads and railways that the Ukrainians use to transport soldiers, weapons and ammunition. It will be a significant loss if the city falls into Russian hands. From the Russian side, there have also been very intense attacks with rockets, bombs and drones recently. Which in turn has affected the electricity supply, transport and housing in many places. A great many Ukrainians are distraught and outraged by the terrorist bombing from the Russian side. In this difficult situation, perhaps the president wants to signal that he has a firm grip on power by implementing the changes in the government now. INTENSIFICATION: Great destruction in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine after Russian rocket attacks this week. Photo: Reuters But regardless, the Ukrainians may face another demanding winter. A month ago, Ukrainian elite forces surprisingly entered the Kursk region on the Russian side of the border. They still hold an area, and so far the Russians have not been able to beat them back. But there is an ongoing discussion about whether it was right to tie up these forces in Russia when there is a great need for them at the front in eastern Ukraine. Published 05.09.2024, at 17.51
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