Zelensky decided to fire Kuleba in April – media

Relations between President Vladimir Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began to deteriorate since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The Economist writes about this on Wednesday, September 4, in an article devoted to reshuffles in Ukrainian government.

According to the publication, in 2019, Zelensky pulled the “nerd” diplomat out of relative obscurity, making him first deputy prime minister and subsequently minister of foreign affairs. The Economist describes the minister as a sharp communicator with round glasses – more like Harry Potter than John Lennon – and Vivienne Westwood ties.

Kuleba is respected among foreign diplomats in Kyiv and in the West. But in the end, his gentle diplomacy did not always match the crude and emotional rhetoric of the Ukrainian president.

The presidential office, the newspaper wrote, complained that Kuleba was avoiding hard work.

“They believe that he just likes to collect victories, he doesn’t follow through on things,” commented one of the deputies from the presidential bloc.

Insiders suggest that Dmitry Kuleba’s fate was decided in April, when Andrei Sibiga, who replaced him, was transferred from the presidential office to the post of deputy minister. Several sources close to the president suggested that pressure from the US State Department prevented the minister from resigning. According to one of the sources, the election campaign continues in America, so attention is focused on other issues.

Let us remind you that Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba wrote a letter of resignation, but the Rada on Wednesday postponed consideration of this issue.

The media learned about Zelensky’s claims to Kuleba