Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated a major diplomatic reshuffle on Saturday, dismissing and appointing several ambassadors and diplomats. This marks the beginning of a broader planned rotation within the country’s foreign service.
Most notably, Serhiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s high-profile Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Pavlo Ryabikin, Ambassador to China, were among those dismissed.
According to BBC sources, Kyslytsya, who gained prominence for his forceful confrontations with Russia’s representatives at the UN Security Council, is expected to transition to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He will be succeeded by Andriy Melnyk, previously Ukraine’s outspoken Ambassador to Germany and most recently to Brazil. Melnyk is known for his direct diplomatic style and controversial criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the early stages of the war.
Ryabikin’s dismissal comes after a brief tenure since April 2023, marked by challenging relations with Beijing as China strengthened its ties with Moscow during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite his background as former minister and head of the State Customs Service, Ryabikin struggled to improve Ukraine’s diplomatic standing with the global power. His replacement has not yet been announced.
The new appointments include several strategic placements. Alyona Getmanchuk, a respected expert on international relations and strong advocate for Ukraine’s NATO membership, is set to become Ukraine’s new permanent representative to NATO.
Fedor Shandor, an ethnic Hungarian and former professor turned soldier known as the “professor from the trenches,” will serve as Ambassador to Hungary – arguably Ukraine’s most challenging relationship within the EU.
Nariman Dzhelyal, a Crimean Tatar leader who spent nearly three years in Russian prison for his pro-Ukrainian activism, will become Ambassador to Türkiye. In contrast, Vyacheslav Yatsyuk, Ukraine’s former Ambassador to Norway, will establish Ukraine’s first embassy in Rwanda as part of an initiative to strengthen ties with the Global South.
Perhaps the most intriguing diplomatic situation involves Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, whose potential replacement is among the anticipated changes as Zelenskyy plans to rotate approximately 30 ambassadors—representing a third of Ukraine’s senior diplomats—in the coming weeks.
Markarova’s position has come under scrutiny following controversy surrounding Zelenskyy’s visit to a weapons factory in President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Republican critics labeled the visit as a political stunt aimed at bolstering Biden’s support ahead of the presidential elections.
“Foreign policy work next year will be even more intense than this year, and it must be strong. The next year should become a time of establishing peace – a reliable peace,” Zelenskyy stated earlier this week.
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