Ukraine’s parliament has approved the nomination of Andriy Sybiha as the country's new foreign minister, replacing Dmytro Kuleba as part of a major government reshuffle.
"First appointment: Andriy Sybiha as minister for foreign affairs of Ukraine," lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced on September 5. He added that 258 of the more than 450 lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, voted in favor of Sybiha's appointment.
Sybiha, a deputy foreign minister, was nominated by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on September 5 to replace Kuleba as foreign minister.
Lawmakers also approved appointing Oleksiy Kuleba, who was serving as deputy head of presidential office, as deputy prime minister responsible for restoration and regional policies.
Dmytro Kuleba and several other cabinet members submitted their resignations this week after Zelenskiy indicated that a cabinet shake-up was imminent.
The voting in parliament on the possible dismissals of cabinets members and other senior officials began on September 4.
Commenting on the futures of Kuleba and the rest of the 22-member cabinet, Zelenskiy said on September 4 that "we need new energy, and these steps relate to strengthening our state in various areas."
Kuleba has been one of the main faces of Kyiv's efforts to gird international support since Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
He has been widely regarded as an effective messenger of Ukraine's warnings that stopping Russia's aggression is essential for the rest of Europe and the West along with pleas to continue massive military and other supplies by NATO members to a nonmember defending itself against Russian attack.
Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk informed the public of Kuleba's resignation on September 4, as well as those a day earlier of two deputy prime ministers and three cabinet ministers as part of what could be the biggest cabinet overhaul since Russia's full-scale invasion began 36 months ago.
Zelenskiy has said more changes to the government are coming in an effort to strengthen it and deliver the results that the country needs.
"That is why there will be a number of personnel changes in the cabinet of ministers and the office of the president," he said on September 3, indicating that the changes would be coming in the fall.
Zelenskiy also said Ukraine needed more interaction between the central government and communities, especially during preparation for the winter season.
