All the rumours of the last few days have been confirmed: a major reshuffle within the Ukrainian government, involving one of the leading figures such as Dmytro Kuleba. The Foreign Minister, like several of his colleagues in the last few hours, has in fact submitted his resignation to the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. The list also includes Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industries, who oversees the production and development of weapons; the Minister of Justice, Denys Maliuska and the Minister for Environmental Protection, Ruslan Strilets. The two deputy prime ministers, Olha Stefanishyna and Iryna Vereshchuk (the first responsible for European integration, the second for refugees) and the head of the State Property Fund responsible for privatizations, Vitalii Koval, have also resigned. But the move by Volodymyr Zelensky It did not excite the Ukrainian people. And neither did the EU.
If in Kiev they talk about a normal rotation aimed at “optimizing” and “having new energy”, there are those who point the finger at the shortening of the chain of command and therefore on the Strengthening Zelensky’s role as sole commander. As highlighted by Corriere, those who would have been tempted to negotiate a compromise with Russia have left their seats. Now, with the new arrangement, the ones who decide Kiev’s fate are Zelensky, the head of the presidential administration Andriy Yermak and the head of the advisors Mykhailo Podolyak.
The resignations – in reality dismissals and repositionings decided from above – would also be an attempt to show Western partners that Ukraine is taking requests for transparency and reforms seriously. But beware of the rise of the aforementioned Yermak: renamed “Cardinal Grigio”, he will have the opportunity to place loyalists in key roles, exercising a decisive influence on strategic decisions. Repubblica therefore confirms the fears about the excessive centralization of power not only of Zelensky, but also of an unelected man like Yermak, who is anything but accountable to the electorate.
As anticipated, the turning point sanctioned by Zelensky was not welcomed with enthusiasm either by the Ukrainians or by theEU and other international supporters. No frontal attack, but a categorical, peremptory dressing down. The Corriere reports that a few days ago the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal received a letter signed by the Ambassador of the European Union to the country Katarína Mathernová, the Director for Europe of the International Finance Corporation (World Bank) Ines Rocha and the Director General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Arvid Tuerkner. One goal: prevent the removal of Volodymyr Kudrytskyi from the role of executive chairman of the state energy corporation Ukrenergo. Failed initiativebecause Kudrytskyi was pushed to resign.
The letter expressed “serious concern” for dismissal, with all the threat: “Such an event would jeopardize our collective ability to support Ukrenergo and other priority measures for Ukraine’s vital energy security.” Not to mention concerns about the transparency of the state company’s management: the ECB and other international bodies lent hundreds of millions to Ukrenergo on favorable terms on the condition that the controlling public shareholder appoint a supervisory board of independents. Those appointments never came.
The official line on the reshuffle was softer, however, represented by the spokesperson for the EU External Action Service, Peter Stano: “What is important for the European Union is to always have good and reliable partners on the other side. So that means it is important to have good and stable governance and we hope to continue very good cooperation with the new Ukrainian counterparts in the same way as we did with the outgoing ministers”. Zelensky is warned.
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