Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday his government needed "new energy" during a major reshuffle that saw Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and several others hand in their resignation.
The ongoing government reshuffle is the most significant shake-up to Ukraine's civilian leadership since Russia invaded two and a half years ago.
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Zelensky had said in August that he planned to make changes to the cabinet, but the scale of the reshuffle has surprised some observers.
"We need new energy," said Zelensky, when asked about the reshuffle and Kuleba's future. "And these steps are related to strengthening our state in various areas."
He thanked those stepping down for their work, during a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris in Kyiv.
"Some of them have been our ministers for five years," he pointed out.
Kuleba -- the face of Ukrainian diplomacy during the war -- is the most senior of the departing ministers.
A source close to the presidential office told AFP that Zelensky and Kuleba "will discuss and decide" his future post.
Speculation is rife that he could be tasked to steer Ukraine's bid to join NATO as soon as possible.
Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday approved the resignation of four ministers, but the removal of a deputy prime minister and another senior government member failed to garner enough votes.
Voting on Kuleba's resignation was postponed until Thursday, according to a parliamentary source.
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Kuleba, 43, has held the key post since 2020. Since Russia's 2022 attack, he has travelled the world to drum up Western support for Kyiv and to argue for sanctions against Moscow.
An eloquent speaker, Kuleba has been popular abroad and back home.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among those on Wednesday to hail Kuleba's performance in the role.
The top US diplomat called Kuleba to voice his "great appreciation and friendship" from their time working together, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday.
Kuleba's deputy, Andriy Sybiga, was set to be nominated as his replacement, said David Arakhamia, the head of Zelensky's party in Ukraine's parliament.
Arakhamia said Wednesday evening that Zelensky had met party leaders and agreed on the replacements for the other outgoing ministers as well.
The new candidates need to be formally proposed and voted on by Ukraine's parliament.
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