BREAKING NEWS

Ukraine names new foreign minister, two deputy PMs in cabinet overhaul

Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Thursday to appoint a new foreign minister and two new deputy prime ministers as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries out his biggest government shakeup since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Andrii Sybiha, 49, an experienced diplomat who does not have a prominent public profile, takes the reins of the foreign ministry, replacing Dmytro Kuleba, who has been one of the best-known public faces of Ukraine in the West in recent years.

The new foreign ministry leadership is not expected to affect policy significantly; Zelenskiy and his office have taken the leading role in foreign affairs during the war with Russia.

The Ukrainian leader, who travels to the United States this month and hopes to present a "victory plan" to President Joe Biden, has said that Ukraine needs "new energy" and that this autumn will be important for Ukraine in the war.