Zelenskyy's big reshuffle to give Ukraine 'new energy'

Kyiv: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukraine needed "new energy", as he ordered a major government reshuffle at a crucial juncture in the war against Russia.

A total of six ministers, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, submitted their resignation and parliament accepted the resignations of four.

They included the resignations of a deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, the strategic industries minister overseeing Ukraine's arms production and two other ministers, the lawmakers said.


"We need new energy today, and these steps are related only to the strengthening of our state in different directions," Zelenskyy told media during a joint news conference with a visiting Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris.

Lawmakers said that parliament was expected to consider Kuleba's resignation Thursday.

After Zelenskyy, 43-year-old Kuleba was the best-known face of Ukraine overseas, meeting leaders around the world and lobbying for military and political support in fluent English. Analysts said the government reset had been planned for some time but was postponed because Zelenskyy had focused on talks with Kyiv's Western partners through the summer to secure military and financial aid.

Lavrov warns US
In Moscow, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned Washington on Wednesday not to joke about Russia's "red lines".

He was commenting on a Reuters report that the US is close to an agreement to supply Ukraine with long-range JASSM cruise missiles that could reach deep inside Russia - for which Zelenskyy has been lobbying.