Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has nominated Andrii Sybiha, the current first deputy foreign minister, to replace Dmytro Kuleba as the country’s new foreign minister. Parliament is expected to approve the nomination as part of a significant government reshuffle—the largest since the war with Russia began in February 2022. Sybiha, a career diplomat, previously worked closely with Zelenskiy in overseeing foreign policy and strategic partnerships. The change comes as Zelenskiy emphasizes the need for “new energy” in Ukraine’s leadership.

The reshuffle, which has already seen the resignations of Foreign Minister Kuleba, two deputy prime ministers, and several other ministers, is not expected to alter Ukraine’s foreign policy. Analysts believe the president’s office will continue to play a dominant role in key decisions, with the foreign minister often taking a secondary position during the ongoing conflict with Russia. Despite the changes, Ukraine’s strategic goals remain unchanged, including maintaining strong international alliances.

Zelenskiy is scheduled to travel to the U.S. later this month to present a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden and participate in a Ramstein group meeting to discuss arms supplies to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to urge allies to lift restrictions preventing the use of Western weapons in long-range strikes on Russia, as the conflict intensifies with Russian forces advancing in the east and targeting Ukrainian infrastructure with missile and drone attacks.

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