What's New
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a shake-up of his diplomatic team, including Kyiv's envoy to the United Nations.
Decrees announcing dismissals and new appointments of Kyiv's envoys were issued on the president's website on Saturday. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian president's office for comment.
Why it matters
Zelensky's announcement of decrees are part of a "major shake-up" of his diplomatic corps, the news outlet New Voice of Ukraine reported. It comes ahead of what is likely to be another challenging year on the diplomatic front as Kyiv deals with a new U.S. administration with question marks over Washington's continued aid for Kyiv and speculation over whether the ground can be set for negotiations to end hostilities.
What to know
The New Voice of Ukraine said presidential and diplomatic sources had predicted on Thursday that Zelensky was planning to replace several ambassadors ahead of Diplomatic Service Day which is on Sunday, December 22.
Among decrees issued Saturday were announcements of the dismissals of Sergiy Kyslytsya as permanent representative to the U.N. and Yevheniia Filipenko as permanent representative to the U.N. office and other organizations in Geneva.
Other dismissals announced by Zelensky were Ukraine's ambassador to China, Pavlo Riabikin, Vasyl Hamianin (Indonesia), Serhii Korsunskyi (Japan), Petro Beshta (Lithuania), Andriy Taran (Slovenia) and Andrii Pravednyk (Rwanda).
On December 21, Volodymyr Zelensky officially appointed Professor of Uzhhorod National University and military serviceman Fedir Shandor as Ukraine’s Ambassador to Hungary.
This is stated in a decree published on the president’s website.
The professor, who is of Hungarian… https://t.co/Lu8Bgt1tIR pic.twitter.com/TBIrBmTgER
Zelensky announced appointments which included Yuliia Fediv as the new envoy to the Philippines, Vyacheslav Yatsyuk (Rwanda), Olga Nikitchenko (Lithuania), and Petra Beštu (Slovenia).
Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, who was released from Russian captivity only in June, was named envoy to Turkey.
Meanwhile, the new ambassador to Hungary was named as Fedir Shandor, who joined the Ukrainian army in February 2023 and gave lectures to his students directly from the trenches during breaks between battles.
What people are saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "I have agreed on more than 30 decisions... these and other decrees will be issued soon, in accordance with diplomatic procedures."
The Kyiv Independent reported: "The appointments follow a significant reshuffle within Ukraine's diplomatic and governmental framework earlier this year."
Roman Sheremeta, founding rector of American University Kyiv, posted on X: "Zelensky has appointed a new ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary: professor Fedir Shandor.
"Shandor had joined the army in February last year and gave lectures to his students directly from the trenches during breaks between battles. This is how bravery looks like!"
What happens next
The shake-up takes place days before the war heads into a critical year in which Kyiv will seek to consolidate western support.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelensky's announcement comes on the heels of Ukraine's parliament confirming on September 5 Andrii Sybiha as the new foreign minister after Dmytro Kuleba's resignation. It is all part of "a shift in Kyiv's diplomatic team amid the ongoing challenges posed by war," the outlet said.
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