Ukraine gets new chief diplomat as war with Russia enters critical phase

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday approved the appointment of a new foreign minister, two lawmakers said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks to revitalize his government as the war against Russia enters a decisive phase.

Andrii Sybiha, a former ambassador to Turkey, is the country’s new chief diplomat. He replaces Dmytro Kuleba, who became one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage when he filed petitions and pleaded with Western countries to support Ukraine’s war effort.

Sybiha, 49, has been working as Kuleba’s deputy since April.

Zelenskyy wants to replace nearly a dozen top officials in the biggest government shakeup since the large-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Other changes include the heads of strategic industries, justice, natural resources and agriculture.

The changes require parliamentary approval, Ukrainian lawmakers Yaroslav Zhelezniak and Oleksii Honcharenko confirmed the vote to The Associated Press.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday about the reshuffle that Ukraine needs “new energy.”

The war, which has been going on for more than 900 days, is about to enter an important period.

A harsh winter is likely ahead, testing the country’s resolve. Ukraine’s electricity grid is under severe strain after Russian missiles and drones knocked out around 70% of the country’s generating capacity, potentially leaving us without heat and water.

On the battlefield, Ukraine is waiting to see whether its military gamble of a surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk border region a month ago will pay off. Meanwhile, outgunned Ukrainian soldiers are being gradually pushed back by Russia’s months-long advance deeper into eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian civilians are at the mercy of Russia’s deadly long-range airstrikes.

The list of victims of a Russian missile attack on Tuesday on a military training school in the Ukrainian city of Poltava has grown to 55 dead and 328 wounded, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday, as a search and rescue operation continued.

No major policy changes were expected under the new government. Zelenskyy’s five-year term expired in May, but he remains in power under martial law, and his leadership is largely unchallenged.

Sybiha, the new foreign minister who previously also worked in the president’s office, takes on the role as Ukraine tries to prevent war weariness from undermining Western engagement.

Authorities in Kiev will also have to deal with the outcome of the US elections in November, which could lead to major policy changes in Washington.

At the top of Ukraine’s wish list right now are more Western air defense systems and permission from its Western partners to use their weapons to strike targets on Russian soil. Some Western leaders are reluctant to grant that request, fearing an escalation that could drag them into the fight.

Top US military officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are meeting in Germany on Friday to discuss these issues with European allies.

Zelensky has not been afraid of major decisions that risked alienating senior officials and confusing the public.

In February, he replaced his top general, a shakeup aimed at reviving momentum on the battlefield. A year ago, then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov resigned after Zelenskyy said he would be replaced and named his successor.

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