LONDON, September 5. /TASS/. Dmitry Kuleba's resignation from the post of Ukraine's top diplomat has been prepared for more than a year, while he himself has been trying to keep his position, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
According to Western diplomats working in Kiev, rumors about Kuleba's resignation have been circulating for more than a year, so the decision of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky did not come as a surprise to Ukraine's allies. At the same time, according to the newspaper, diplomats were surprised that the cabinet reshuffle was taking place now.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told the newspaper that the reshuffle seemed arbitrary to him and that Zelensky's decision was simply dictated by "the desire to change something." Other Ukrainian politicians and officials the newspaper spoke to added that Kuleba did not want to leave his post, but Zelensky told him last week that the time had come for him to do so.
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on September 4 that Kuleba, who has headed the country's Foreign Ministry since March 2020, had submitted his resignation. On Thursday, the parliament approved it in a vote. This was only the second attempt - the day before, when the issue was on the agenda, it was not put to a vote because, according to the opposition, the pro-presidential party did not get the required number of votes.