Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has carried out a large-scale rotation in the diplomatic corps, replacing ambassadors in six countries: Hungary, Congo, Lithuania, Rwanda, Slovenia, and the Philippines.
In addition, he announced the appointment of Andriy Melnyk, a former ambassador to Germany and Brazil, to the post of Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN. Melnyk, known for his scandalous statements (including comparing Chancellor Scholz to an “offended liverwurst”), will replace Serhiy Kyslytsya, who has held the post since 2020. The decree on Melnyk’s appointment has not yet been published.
There were also changes in the representation of Ukraine to the UN in Geneva and Vienna. Yevgeniy Tsymbalyuk replaced Yevgenia Filipenko in Geneva, and the decree appointing Emina Dzhaparova as the representative in Vienna was annulled.
According to Euromaidan, 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.
On December 13, Sevim Dagdelen, a Bundestag member from the German party “Sara Wagenknecht Union – For Reason and Justice,” called Melnyk “an admirer of fascists.” She emphasized that the Ukrainian diplomat is an ambassador of the administration, whose term in power has long since expired.
Earlier, Zakharova described the mass dismissal of Ukrainian ambassadors with a quote from a fable.
