The reshuffle of the Ukrainian government on Tuesday, September 3, with a flurry of ministerial resignations, continued on Wednesday evening with the publication of a list of candidates for the highest positions of power. This rotation of people to "strengthen the state," communicated by the leader of the presidential party Servant of the People, Davyd Arakhamia, following a meeting of the political group, still has to be approved by parliament before it can be implemented.

Criticized by the opposition for its scope and timing, the list confirmed the government's intention to replace foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, with Andrii Sybiha, the first deputy head of the foreign ministry, a seasoned diplomat. On Wednesday, the minister, very popular with Westerners and a staunch advocate of Ukraine's entry into NATO, had been the last to submit his letter of resignation as part of the biggest ministerial reshuffle since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

This change of personnel comes at a crucial time for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares an autumn visit to the United States to present a "plan for victory" to US President Joe Biden, as well as to the two candidates in the November presidential election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. It also comes a month after the launch of an unprecedented Ukrainian offensive on the Russian region of Kursk and as Kyiv's armed forces retreat in the face of Russian army assaults in the Donetsk region, in the east of the country.

This is the context with which the Ukrainian authorities have justified this reshuffle, insisting on the need to "strengthen" the Ukrainian state in various key areas. Ukraine "needs new energy" after two and a half years of war with Russia, declared the Ukrainian president on Wednesday.

This reshuffle also introduces a breath of fresh air, as the prospect of parliamentary and presidential elections is blocked for as long as the war lasts. The Ukrainian president, whose five-year term came to an end this year, explained that it is impossible to hold an election campaign, which would risk dividing the country. Elections would also be very difficult to organize, given the daily bombardments, the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians serving in the army and the millions living abroad. The majority of the population agrees with this decision, according to the latest opinion polls.

The prospect of a major reshuffle had been discussed on several occasions at the start of the year, before coming to the fore again in the summer. At the time, rumors were circulating that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal would be replaced. In an investigation published on Wednesday, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reports that, at the end of August, Shmyhal had a "frank conversation" with the president, during which he asked him to make a choice: either to fire him or to let him work. Ten days later, Zelensky announced his decision to replace half of the ministers... while sparing Shmyhal.

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