President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a letter to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman as regards the issue of disciplinary action against Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin.
As stated by Andriy Bohdan, Head of the President’s Office, the given decision was made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy due to the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not inform the Head of State of the note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation of June 25 concerning the release of the captured Ukrainian sailors and the note from the Ukrainian side in response.
"Given that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is personally responsible for the state of affairs in his area of responsibility, I consider it necessary to raise the issue of disciplinary action against Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin and inform of the results," the letter reads.
Andriy Bohdan reminded that, in accordance with articles 102 and 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the President is responsible for the international vector and defines the foreign policy of Ukraine. According to the Regulation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign minister is obligated to report to the Head of State on the events such as the note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation regarding 24 sailors.
He also emphasized that the procedure for returning sailors offered by the Russian Federation was not acceptable to Ukraine. However, in the process of negotiations, the parties may find a compromise without damaging the interests of our state.
"Crimea is Ukraine, we are fighting for the return of Crimea to our jurisdiction. In addition to the procedure proposed by the Russian Federation, which is not acceptable to Ukraine, there are other procedures. We can reach a compromise in the negotiation process and return our citizens to Ukraine," the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine noted.
He also added that, given the current situation, the President would appeal to the parliament again as regards the dismissal of the foreign minister and other staffing issues.
"At the moment, some ministers, the Verkhovna Rada are engaged in political activities and do not protect the interests of Ukraine and our citizens. Therefore, today we will turn to the Parliament for the changes in the staffing issues and the appointment of the people trusted by the President, as well as for the disciplinary action against the Minister of Foreign Affairs due to the steps that directly contradict the current legislation," Andriy Bohdan summed up.