“All the actions of the current authorities speak of the systematic centralization of power by the President and his office,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a lawmaker from the European Solidarity opposition party, told POLITICO. “This flurry of resignations from government officials now speaks to a severe governance crisis in the country.”
Among those heading for the exit is popular Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who tendered his resignation, for as yet unexplained reasons, on Wednesday.
One former top Ukrainian official, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the reshuffle, said Kuleba was likely ousted because of a clash with Zelenskyy’s powerful head of office, Andriy Yermak. “Everyone knew they had conflict. I once even witnessed an episode of it,” the official said.
“Due to his post, Kuleba had well-established direct contacts with [U.S. Secretary of State Antony] Blinken, with [German Foreign Minister Annalena] Baerbock, and many others. Even if he was 300 percent loyal, the president’s office could not leave such a communication channel in the hands of a person they are not fully sure is their person, if you know what I mean,” the official added.
Although Zelenskyy relies on his top officials for guidance, Kyiv’s communication with Washington is primarily led by his own office — specifically by Yermak. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is also close with the Biden administration and speaks often with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Those two men remain in place. Both visited Washington last week, meeting with top officials from the Biden regime.
