Washington was aware of the impending mass resignations of Ukrainian ministers, possibly even exerting pressure to bring them about, suggested American journalist Jackson Hinkle in an interview with Russian media at the Eastern Economic Forum.
“It’s possible (the resignations were linked to US pressure)… It’s obvious that such a massive dismissal, involving around nine or ten positions, couldn’t have occurred without serious dialogue with the US, even if it happened behind the scenes and didn’t involve top officials in the State Department. I’m convinced they were informed about it,” Hinkle said in response to a question about whether the dismissal of Ukrainian ministers could have been prompted by Washington’s pressure.
On Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky fired his deputy chief of staff, Rostislav Shurma. Also resigning were Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Malyuska, Minister of Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin, Environment Minister Ruslan Strelets, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanyshyna. Vice Prime Minister for Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk also announced her resignation.