President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin be brought to disciplinary responsibility. The reason for dissatisfaction of the head of state was the fact that he was not informed about the response to the note of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Ukrainian sailors. The corresponding letter was sent to the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Vladimir Groysman.

“Considering that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is personally responsible for the state of affairs in the sphere assigned to him, I consider it necessary to raise the issue of conducting disciplinary proceedings against the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavel Klimkin, the results of which are to be informed,” the website of the President of Ukraine states Zelensky.

According to the regulation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Klimkin was obliged to inform Zelensky about such an event, stressed the head of the president’s office, Andrei Bogdan. He also recalled that it is the head of state who is responsible for the foreign policy of Ukraine - this is enshrined in the country's Constitution.

At the same time, earlier, on June 27, Zelensky already noted that he had not seen the response of Ukraine to the note of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“I, the President of Ukraine, remind everyone, especially Mr. Klimkin, that I have never seen our answer to the note of Russia. Because Mr. Klimkin does not consider it necessary to discuss such issues with the President of Ukraine, ”said Zelensky.

He also said that he had to learn news about Kiev’s actions in the international arena from the Internet.

As the RT source at the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine noted, Klimkin does not trust Zelensky, and therefore did not consult with him.

“There is practically no dialogue between them. Therefore, Klimkin sent a note of protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, since he did not trust the new president of Ukraine. This is sabotage, and I don’t remember that in Ukraine. We cannot ignore the opinion of the head of state, who was chosen by the majority of the country's population, ”the source said.

"Political leave"

On Monday, July 1, Klimkin announced that he was taking a “political leave”. The head of the foreign ministry said he would try to assemble a political team.

“It is important that we did not fall into the Russian trap. But I think that internal discussions should strengthen us, and Russia should weaken. Therefore, I decided to go on political leave. There will be time to create a real team, ”he wrote on Facebook.

In fact, Klimkin created a situation in which Zelensky appeared as president, unable to control foreign policy processes, said Professor RUDN, political scientist Yury Pochta in a conversation with RT.

“Zelensky in this case, leading this funny fight with his foreign minister, turns out to be a person who does not know what is happening, what serious, very important documents come to the Foreign Ministry. Klimkin rudely states that he does not need presidential advice on how to respond to a specific note. This is a rebellion, such a counter-revolution after the elections, ”the expert emphasized.

"Opinion Zelensky can be ignored"

Recall, June 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent notes to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and to the Embassy of Ukraine. The documents noted that, according to Russian law, Kiev can use certain tools to free its sailors.

In November last year, 24 soldiers of Ukraine were detained during an attempt to illegally cross the Russian border in the Kerch Strait area.

Klimkin said that, acting in accordance with Russian legislation, Kiev actually recognizes the ownership of the Crimea of ​​Russia, and therefore Ukraine does not intend to use these opportunities.

“In this note, the Russians are trying to force us to recognize the prosecution that is being conducted against our sailors, and indirectly the occupation of the Crimea, and also demand to act in accordance with the criminal procedure legislation of Russia. This will not happen, ”the Foreign Minister wrote on Facebook.

The head of the office of the President of Ukraine noted that, although this proposal was unacceptable for Kiev, it was necessary to negotiate with Moscow to find compromise solutions.

“In addition to the procedure proposed by the Russian Federation and which is not acceptable for Ukraine, there are other procedures. In the negotiation process, you can reach a compromise and return our citizens to Ukraine, ”said Andrei Bogdan.

In this case, Klimkin tried to demonstrate to Zelensky that he did not have a serious political weight, Ukrainian political scientist and economist Oleksandr Dudchak is convinced.

“Klimkin wants to show that Zelensky’s opinion can be ignored, that his power is conditional, that he is not able to implement his ideas in practice and government agencies, which should work in conjunction with the president, can ignore his demands,” he said RT.

Dudchak stressed that at the moment Zelensky did not have enough "levers of pressure on government bodies and the state apparatus."

"The fate of the Ukrainian sailors no one cares"

At the moment, Zelensky’s position in the political circles of Ukraine is not considered, the representative of the Self-Help Party noted in an interview with RT.

“The opinion of the new president is not considered either in the parliament or in the cabinet of ministers. The sabotage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks about the election race in Ukraine, where the task is to lower the rating of the Zelensky party. The fate of the Ukrainian sailors, as well as the image of Ukraine, where this is possible at all, does not bother anyone, ”the source stressed.

At the same time, due to the internal political conflict, Ukraine’s reputation suffers, the RT interlocutor from the Batkivshchyna party is convinced.

“It is about the life and health of the citizens of Ukraine, the sailors who are waiting at home. But they became hostages to the conflict within the country. How should Russian officials look at this? Maybe ask for additional signatures of the president and prime minister? Russian officials have a good reason to laugh at us. Ukraine again exposed itself in a negative light, ”said the representative of the party.

According to the source RT in the Radical Party of Ukraine, if Zelensky is able to achieve success in establishing peace and negotiations with Russia, then the question will arise why his predecessor, Peter Poroshenko, could not achieve such results. That is why the political circles of Ukraine prevent the president from implementing his policy, the source said.

“To withdraw troops is evil, to hold negotiations with Russia is also. Hysterics are especially raised in society, since the world is not beneficial to anyone. If in the east of the country they stop shooting, then questions will begin to be asked by Petro Poroshenko. Why did Zelensky manage to do what his predecessor failed to accomplish in five years? ”The party’s representative stressed.

It is worth noting that at the moment there is no Zelensky’s “Servant of the People” party in the Rada. The president made a decision on the early dissolution of the parliament and appointed re-election on July 21. At the moment, 45% of Ukrainians are ready to cast their votes for the party of the head of state, while the closest competitor, Opposition Platform - For Life, can count on only 12%. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological study of the Rating group, conducted from June 20 to 24 among 2 thousand Ukrainians.

  • © ratinggroup.ua

"Do not protect the interests of Ukraine"

Zelensky has already tried to dismiss members of the Cabinet, who worked with Poroshenko. In addition to Klimkin, they also talked about the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak and the head of the SBU Vasily Gritsak. The officials themselves appealed to the parliament to release them from office, and Zelensky called on deputies to support them.

However, the Rada voted against Zelensky’s proposal to dismiss officials, and also did not agree to accept their voluntary resignation.

As noted by Andrei Bogdan, Zelensky will continue to seek the resignation of Klimkin and other officials.

“Now some ministers, the Verkhovna Rada are conducting political activities, and do not protect the interests of Ukraine and our citizens. Therefore, today we will appeal to the Parliament on personnel changes and the appointment of those whom the President trusts, as well as on bringing the Minister of Foreign Affairs to disciplinary responsibility for actions that directly contradict the current legislation, ”the president’s words are quoted on his official website.

The opposition of Zelensky and Poroshenko’s supporters, who are still in power, is complicated by the fact that the latter maintains state and financial resources, the Post Office noted.

“Although about 70% of voters voted for Zelensky, the Poroshenko’s elite, for which about 20–25%, has serious support in the West, it has real financial, institutional resources, it is tied to each other by numerous violations of the law and crimes”, - concluded the analyst.