Ukraine recalls its ambassadors from four countries including India

By Our Special Correspondent

According to the presidential website, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday fired several of Kyiv's senior ambassadors, including to India. In a decree that gave no reason for the move, he announced the removal of Ukraine's ambassador to India, Germany, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary.

It was not immediately clear whether the ambassadors would be assigned new jobs. Igor Polikha, Ukraine's ambassador to India, has been one of the most vocal proponents of Ukraine's position in the conflict with Russia and has consistently appealed to the Indian government to help.

Sources say that the sudden announcement has taken the Ukrainian Embassy in India by surprise. However, they also say that Ambassador Igor has served in India for more than seven years and it is time for him to return.

Igor was concurrently ambassador to Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Last month he told Ambassador Igor that he hoped India would help with post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine. The dates of his departure have not yet been set, nor has his replacement been announced. There is no clarity on whether he will be reappointed as ambassador of another country or not.

Ambassadors recalled along with him include Andriy Melnyk (Germany), Liubov Nepap (Hungary), Vyacheslav Yatsuk (Norway) and Yven Perebinis (Czech Republic). Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany is one of their most outspoken.

He once accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of behaving like a liver sausage when Chancellor Scholz refused the Ukrainian president's invitation to visit Kyiv. Some reports suggest that he may be appointed Foreign Minister in Kyiv.

Ukraine and Germany are currently at loggerheads over a German-made turbine to be sent to Russian gas company Gazprom. Kyiv opposes the turbine's return to Russia, allegedly violating sanctions.

However, the fact is that the turbine will soon return to Russia after undergoing maintenance in Canada. Noting that this rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice, President Zelemski referred to the recall of ambassadors in a statement, referred to as dismissal. However, it is not clear whether the ambassadors will be assigned new positions.