EU top diplomat bids Ukraine's former foreign minister Kuleba farewell and praises his successor

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, devoted his recent blog post to former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and said that he is looking forward to working with his successor, Andrii Sybiha.

Source: Borrel’s blog post titled "Thank you and farewell, Dmytro Kuleba" published on Sunday 8 September, as reported by European Pravda 

Details: The EU top diplomat emphasised that Kuleba had one of the most challenging positions in the world as a foreign minister in the middle of "the worst war of aggression on European soil since the Second World War".

Quote: "He managed this challenge skilfully, in an impressive way, showing remarkable resilience. He always put the Ukrainian people and their cause above anything else," Borrell said.

Borrell recalled joint meetings with Kuleba and his trips to Ukraine, noting that his relationship with the former head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry "has grown stronger by the day into a real friendship".

He also praised Kuleba's contributions to Ukraine's progress towards EU membership and wished him "all the best for the rest of his career".

"In the meantime, I am looking forward to working with Andriy Sybiha, who has been given the difficult task of succeeding him. A seasoned diplomat, he has held multiple roles alongside President Zelenskyy and Minister Kuleba," Borrell said.

The EU top diplomat stressed that the European Union will continue to support Kyiv "as long as it takes and with whatever it takes", and also announced a trip to Ukraine before the end of his tenure this autumn.

On 5 September, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) appointed Andrii Sybiha as the minister of foreign affairs.

The next day, Borrell held the first telephone conversation with the new foreign minister and invited him to the next meeting of the EU Council.

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