KYIV — Ukraine’s parliament voted Thursday to appoint Andrii Sybiha, the country’s former ambassador to Turkey and past deputy head of the presidential office, as foreign minister, just hours after accepting the resignation of his predecessor, Dmytro Kuleba.
Thirty months into Moscow’s full-scale invasion, Russian troops are advancing in the east, Ukrainian troops control a swath of land in Russia, energy infrastructure is badly damaged across Ukraine, and looming U.S. elections could affect a partnership that has, until now, been key to Kyiv’s fight.
“This week, next week and all of September must be productive for all of us,” Zelensky said in his nightly address Wednesday, adding that important meetings are being planned to discuss Ukraine’s security.
On Friday, Zelensky is scheduled to attend a meeting in Germany of defense ministers from the Ramstein group, which supplies arms to Ukraine, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel. Later this month, he plans to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The cabinet reshuffle, which Zelensky said is meant to inject new “energy” into the country’s leadership, is not expected to spur any major policy changes.
Kuleba had served as Ukraine’s chief diplomat since 2020, and for more than two years of full-scale war, he traveled the world pleading for more weapons, air defense and support for Ukraine to counter Russia’s invasion. But he was often overshadowed by Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who oversaw many key international relationships.
Kuleba’s past public messaging, in which he has candidly outlined partners’ perceived shortcomings, will probably continue as Ukraine requests more support. This week, Kyiv has pointed to attacks across the country killing dozens of people in a matter of days as evidence it needs more air defense systems and more Western weapons, as well as loosened restrictions on how those weapons can be used.
Sybiha, a senior diplomat, left his role as Yermak’s deputy earlier this year to serve as deputy foreign minister. He was ambassador to Turkey from 2016 to 2021, an experience likely seen as an asset because of the critical role Turkey plays in the war.
A NATO country that also maintains ties to Russia, Turkey recently applied to join BRICS, a group of emerging nations founded in part by Russia. Its application marks the first time a NATO country and European Union candidate has applied to join the group.
But Turkey has also maintained ties with Ukraine. In March 2022, it held unsuccessful peace talks with leaders from both sides in Istanbul. Last month, Ankara and Kyiv ratified a free-trade agreement after years of disagreements over key details.
“Turkey can become a strong country, prosperous and respected, if it simultaneously develops relations with the East and West,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.
Zelensky may take Sybiha with him on his trip this month to the United States, where he has said he hopes to unveil a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden.
The upcoming presidential election in the United States has left Ukraine on uncertain footing. Former president Donald Trump has not outlined any clear plan for handling the war, and his vice-presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), opposed a bill in February that included a large aid package for Ukraine.
Ukraine blamed delays in U.S. support at that time for the fall of Avdiivka, a key eastern city where Ukrainian forces were outgunned. The fall of Avdiivka paved the way for Russian forces to advance steadily on the key transit hub of Pokrovsk, where emergency civilian evacuations are now underway amid fierce fighting just outside the city.
Other major appointments were made in Ukraine’s parliament Thursday, with Olha Stefanishyna, who resigned two days ago as deputy prime minister overseeing Ukraine’s accession to the E.U., returning to that position and also becoming justice minister.
