Naiiem’s resignation could shaken Western partners’ confidence in Zelenskyy and Ukrainian government - Financial Times
Ukrainian official Mustafa Naiiem, who was in charge of rebuilding and erecting defensive fortifications during the war, has resigned, claiming that the government is systematically putting pressure on his department.
According to Censor.NET, the Financial Times reports.
Mustafa Naiiem 's resignation is the latest in a series of personnel changes in Kyiv that have shaken Western partners' confidence in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government and angered some Ukrainian officials.
Nayyem told the Financial Times that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had barred him from attending the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference on 11 and 12 June in Berlin, where donors will discuss support for recovery projects.
On Monday, two agency officials responsible for anti-corruption policy and procurement resigned along with Naiiem.
Six Ukrainian and Western officials told the FT that a series of dismissals, resignations and reshuffles in the Ukrainian government in recent months have caused tension between Kyiv and Western partners who are funding Ukraine's defence and reconstruction.
They all told the FT that they had warned Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government that they considered these to be disruptive and inexplicable moves.
The publication also reminds that the Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov was recently dismissed.
"This situation is very bad for the perception of the Ukrainian government and Ukraine in general. Ukraine is and should be perceived as unbreakable," said Hlib Vyshlinskyi, executive director of the Kyiv-based Centre for Economic Strategy. Kubrakov's dismissal and Naiiem's resignation "create an image of a weak and unpredictable government that is unfair to the efforts of Ukrainians in these years."
Naiiem`s resignation
Earlier, Censor.NET reported that Naiiem had resigned and accused the Shmyhal government of disrupting the construction of defence structures and protective infrastructure in the energy sector. Later, the media reported that Naiieem's business trip was rejected because of a government meeting scheduled for that day.
The release of Kubrakov
As reported, on 9 May, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Oleksandr Kubrakov from his post as Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine - Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure. Kubrakov himself said that the leadership of the Servant of the People faction and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had not discussed this decision with him.
On the same day, the Rada dismissed Mykola Solskyi from the post of Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food upon his resignation letter. Prior to that, the NABU notified Solskyi of suspicion of organising a scheme to seize state land of about 2,500 hectares worth UAH 291 million under the pretext of allocating land to ATO veterans.
It is worth noting that his deputy Taras Vysotskyi is also a suspect in the NABU criminal case. According to the investigation, in 2022, Vysotskyi organised the purchase of products for the needs of regional military administrations at the expense of Ukrzaliznytsia at significantly inflated prices from selected companies. As a result, the state budget suffered losses of UAH 62.5 million.
