Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, submitted his resignation on Wednesday in what appears to be the first move of a revolution in Volodymyr Zelensky's cabinet, possibly the biggest change since the large-scale invasion by Russia. Zelensky stated on social media that the wave of ministerial resignations is part of an effort to "give new strength" to Ukraine's institutions.
Kuleba has been a very active Foreign Minister and has carried a great responsibility on his shoulders: to expand the foreign action of a country invaded by a nuclear power. He has been the youngest in Ukrainian history and participated in the Maidan revolution as one of its own, a breeding ground for other Ukrainian leaders. The new Foreign Minister will have to take on another essential task: lifting the U.S. veto on the use of long-range missiles against Russian air bases and missile launchers, which bring terror to Ukrainian cities every night.
Olga Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries, Denys Malyuska, Minister of Justice, Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, and Vitaliy Koval, Head of the State Property Fund, also resigned.
Government sources assure that there will be a reorganization of ministries, some will merge, and others will be created to meet the new needs created by the war. The Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Zelensky's right-hand man and closest collaborator, will remain in his position. Those same sources believe that Kuleba will be assigned another role in the new government.
A hint of this has already been given by David Arakhamia, head of Zelensky's Servant of the People party in parliament. Arakhamia commented on his social media profile that more than half of Ukraine's current cabinet would be "transferred or replaced in the coming days".
The reorganization comes at a crucial point in the 30-month-long war, with Kyiv trying to contain Moscow's growing offensive in eastern Ukraine while also rushing to consolidate its advance over approximately 1,300 square kilometers of territory it has unexpectedly invaded within the Russian region of Kursk.
"Autumn will be a very important month for Ukraine. State institutions must be organized in such a way that Ukraine achieves all the results we need for everyone," said Zelensky. "To do this, it is necessary to strengthen some areas of the government, and decisions regarding personnel have already been prepared".