Zelenskyy's nominee to lead Foreign Ministry approved amid reshuffle backlash

Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most internationally known figures, one of six ministers to resign on Wednesday evening

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with his new Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha. Alamy Live News

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s nominee to lead the Foreign Ministry was approved by the country's parliament on Thursday as part of an effort to inject "new energy" into the country’s war effort following intensified Russian attacks.

Andrii Sybiha, a senior diplomat and former ambassador to Turkey who was previously the department's Deputy, will succeed Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most internationally known figures.

Mr Kuleba was among six ministers to submit their resignations on Wednesday evening. Reports suggest he was probably let go due to a "clash" with Mr Zelenskyy’s head of office, Andriy Yermak.

The reshuffle has come in for criticism by some who say the new names are just old faces reshuffled.

Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a Holos Party MP, wrote in a post on Facebook: “Zelenskyy says new energy is needed, but have you noticed that in this 'great re-introduced order' there is still no new person in sight?"

"All the changes are just a rotation among people who are already" in government, he added.

Ukraine's former foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba. AFP

A US administration official, speaking anonymously to Politico, said: “there may be reasons for concern" about the shakeup.

Ukraine’s top envoy to Turkey from 2016 to 2021, Mr Sybiha went on to work in Mr Zelenskyy’s office under Mr Yermak.

Mr Yermak often overshadowed Mr Kuleba on issues including bilateral security guarantees, relations with the US and seeking support from the Global South.

As he climbed the diplomatic ranks in Kyiv, Mr Sybiha also did two stints at the Ukrainian embassy in Poland, one of Ukraine’s strongest backers in its war against Russia.

Parliament is due to vote on nine candidates to fill vacant cabinet seats.

Other top ministerial positions include those of infrastructure, agriculture and regional policy chiefs, which have been vacant for months.

Mr Zelenskyy’s five-year mandate expired in May. He remains in power under the provisions of martial law.

The reshuffle, the biggest since the full-scale war began in 2022, has left Ukraine’s Nato allies guessing. They were also caught off-guard by last month’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

A damaged monument to the Soviet Union's founder Vladimir Lenin stands in a central square in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia. AP

Mr Sybiha will lead diplomatic efforts as Moscow’s invasion reaches a crucial point, with Russian missiles targeting Kyiv’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back a Russian offensive in the east and the war-battered nation is urgently seeking air-defense systems from allies to protect civilians.

"We need new energy today, and these steps are related only to the strengthening of our state in different directions," Mr Zelenskyy told media during a joint news conference with the visiting Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris on Wednesday.

Analysts said the government reset had been planned for some time but was postponed while Mr Zelenskyy focused on talks with Kyiv's Western partners to secure military and financial aid.

"This is a planned personnel overhaul of the government," said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based political analyst.

"Now half of the government will be renewed. This is Mr Zelenskyy's style. He believes that new ministers bring new energy, new approaches, work more actively. He expects exactly this effect."

Mr Fesenko did not expect a major foreign policy change following Mr Kuleba's expected dismissal.

The Kremlin said that government changes in Ukraine would not affect a peace negotiation process in any way, although such talks appear a distant prospect at this stage.

The next few months are vital for Mr Zelenskyy as he seeks to win more support from the West and seize back the initiative in the war against Russia after its invasion in February 2022.

Later this month Mr Zelenskyy will travel to the US where he hopes to present a "victory plan" to President Joe Biden, a key ally.

Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine, while Ukrainian troops have made an incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Russia has intensified drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, while Ukraine launched a mass drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure over the weekend.

On Tuesday at least 50 people, including soldiers, were killed by two missiles in the central Ukrainian town of Poltava in the deadliest single attack of the war this year.

Analysts say Mr Zelenskyy's talent pool is limited, and expect some outgoing ministers to be reappointed to new roles.