A new figure at the head of Ukrainian diplomacy. The Ukrainian parliament approved, this Thursday, September 5, the appointment of Andriy Sybiga as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing his charismatic predecessor Dmytro Kuleba, as part of a major government reshuffle, announced deputies. A total of 258 elected representatives voted for the appointment of this man, until now number two in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while a minimum of 226 was required, several parliamentarians indicated on their Telegram accounts.
Less media-friendly and less well-known than his predecessor, Andriy Sybiga, 49, is nevertheless seen as a heavyweight in Ukrainian diplomacy. Ambassador to Turkey from 2016 to 2021, he also cut his teeth at the Ukrainian embassy in Poland, a key partner of kyiv since the start of the war against Russia.
But he is also seen as more loyal to the head of the presidential administration, Andrii Yermak, the real number 2 in power in Ukraine. In presenting Andrii Sybiga’s candidacy to his party’s deputies, President Volodymyr Zelensky “described him as a specialist in international relations, who was with him in the bunker in 2022 (at the beginning of the Russian invasion, editor’s note) and had then managed his international communication”, a source within the presidential party told AFP.
A more reliable minister than Kouleba?
Dmytro Kuleba was one of the most prominent Ukrainian figures since the start of the war with Russia. He had distinguished himself by fighting to increase Western support for Ukraine and by trying to convince countries courted by Moscow, in Africa and Asia in particular, to support kyiv.
The 43-year-old, who has spent the last four years in the post, resigned on Wednesday. According to sources in political circles interviewed by AFP, his departure was not voluntary and was dictated by the presidency, which is seeking to consolidate its control over this key ministry. No reason has been officially given for Dmytro Kuleba’s dismissal.
Asked about the cabinet reshuffle, President Zelensky limited himself to saying that Ukraine “needed new energy” after two and a half years of war with Russia. But a source within the presidential party criticized Dmytro Kuleba for having lost his effectiveness.
“There have been complaints about him for a year,” the source told AFP. “He gave interviews, spoke eloquently, made frequent visits (…). He was engaged in self-promotion, instead of improving the work of embassies, systematically working on countries and gaining their support,” she added. “And for the last six months, he has not been doing the tasks he was given at all, but has simply written tweets and commented,” the source added. Dmytro Kuleba could nevertheless be offered a senior position in which he would be responsible for Ukraine’s integration into NATO, a major goal of kyiv.