the biggest personnel change since the conflict, with the new foreign minister drawing particular attention, as ukraine's parliament appoints nine cabinet ministers
2024-09-07
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[global times special correspondent in russia xiao xinxin] according to a report by the ukrainian national news agency on the 5th, the ukrainian verkhovna rada (parliament) approved the appointment of 9 cabinet ministers on the same day, which is the largest personnel change in the ukrainian cabinet since the outbreak of the russian-ukrainian conflict. the report said that according to the appointment of the ukrainian verkhovna rada, the first deputy minister of foreign affairs of ukraine, andrei sibiga, replaced kuleba as minister of foreign affairs.
according to reports, ukrainian president zelensky said in a video speech on the evening of the 5th that the ukrainian cabinet "has been adjusted". it is crucial for ukrainian government departments at all levels to "operate more efficiently than before" as much as possible. he also said that "dozens of very specific tasks" have been set for this purpose, and he hopes that "every official in office must produce tangible results" throughout the fall. on the same day, ukrainian prime minister shmygal said on social media that the new cabinet members "face arduous tasks" and believed that their experience and talents will help achieve ukraine's national strategic goals.
on the 5th, the verkhovna rada of ukraine also approved the personnel appointments of the minister of agricultural policy and food, the minister of strategic industries, the minister of culture and strategic communications, the minister of veterans affairs, the minister of environmental protection and natural resources, and the minister of youth and sports.
russia's "tsargrad" news website analyzed on the 6th that factors such as the uncertainty of aid prospects for ukraine caused by the us presidential election and the high-pressure situation on the front line in eastern ukraine have put the ukrainian authorities in a "difficult situation at home and abroad" to some extent. zelensky attempted to open up a new situation in domestic and foreign affairs through a large-scale cabinet reshuffle, especially in winning western support.
the washington post website said on the 5th that zelensky's reshuffle of ukrainian cabinet officials was a choice made at a "critical time in the war." russian troops are advancing in eastern ukraine, energy infrastructure in various parts of ukraine has been severely damaged, and the upcoming us election may affect the key partnership that has supported ukraine's fight.
the ukrainian website of the kyiv independent reported on the 6th that the change in the ukrainian foreign minister position was particularly noteworthy in the cabinet reshuffle. the report quoted an analysis saying that compared with former foreign minister kuleba, sibiga has a closer relationship with zelensky's political team and also has rich diplomatic experience. the british daily telegraph reported that one of the main reasons for kuleba's resignation this time may be that he failed to persuade european and american countries to relax restrictions on ukraine's use of long-range missiles to strike russian targets and strive for more air defense system assistance. in recent months, his calls and lobbying have been "turned on deaf ears" and have not achieved significant results.
according to reports, sibega, 49, is a career diplomat who has held several positions in the ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs. he served as minister counselor of the ukrainian embassy in poland and ambassador of ukraine to turkey from 2016 to 2021. since may 2021, he has been deputy director of the ukrainian presidential office, responsible for dealing with foreign policy and strategic partnership development issues. in april this year, he was appointed first deputy minister of the ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs.
the bbc reported on the 5th, citing analysts as saying that this personnel adjustment may be the best way to "introduce new people and new ideas" to the ukrainian government. one of the important reasons for sibiga's appointment as ukrainian foreign minister may be his close relationship with yermak, the director of the ukrainian presidential office, whose power is growing. kuleba was previously reported to have clashed with yermak. the report also said that sibiga's appointment as ukrainian foreign minister is not expected to lead to major changes in ukraine's current foreign policy. the direction of ukraine's diplomacy is under the control of zelensky and the ukrainian presidential office.
russia's "military observation network" said on the 6th that the large-scale personnel changes in the ukrainian cabinet reflected the ukrainian authorities' growing anxiety about the growing defeat in the war, especially when the ukrainian army's actions in the kursk direction did not meet expectations and instead worsened the situation on the eastern front of ukraine.
the russian ministry of defense announced on the 6th that in the past day, the ukrainian army lost more than 300 people and 12 armored vehicles in the kursk direction. since launching the offensive, the ukrainian army has lost more than 10,400 people, 81 tanks, 41 infantry fighting vehicles, 74 armored personnel carriers, 599 armored vehicles, and other types of weapons and equipment in this direction. earlier, the russian ministry of defense said that it had controlled the zavetnoye settlement in the donetsk region.
according to a report by ukrainian news agency on the 6th, zelensky said on the same day that the russian army had suffered 6,000 casualties in kursk oblast. at present, the ukrainian army controls an area of more than 1,300 square kilometers in the state, including about 100 settlements. according to cnn, the commander-in-chief of the ukrainian armed forces, serski, said that the ukrainian army's actions in kursk oblast were "successful", weakening the threat of the russian army's offensive on the eastern front of ukraine and shifting the battle to russian territory. he admitted that the ukrainian army was under great pressure in the pokrovsk direction of the donetsk region, but said that the ukrainian army had prevented the russian army from advancing. in the past 6 days, the russian army "has not advanced one meter in the pokrovsk direction", and the ukrainian army's strategy is working. he said that the russian army "does have an advantage" in personnel and weapons and equipment, and that recruiting more soldiers for the ukrainian army "is a top priority."
