Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak gave an interview to European Pravda focusing on foreign policy.
As it turned out of this interview, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has become a completely unimportant person in the Ukrainian government which raises questions not only about his role and powers, but also about how the Ukrainian MFA and the state as a whole functions.
’It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a current Ukrainian official with a more controversial image than Andrii Yermak. Critics often point out how powerful Yermak is and say he often has more influence on shaping state policy than the ministers concerned. And that includes foreign policy. Contacts with the White House, peace summits, presidential negotiations – these are just some of the areas where Yermak’s role is de facto crucial’, the foreword to the interview says, jumping straight to the essence of the phenomenon that Andrii Yermak embodies.
’In many countries, such as the US, presidents delegate a lot of issues to national security advisers or foreign policy advisers. This format has not been widely used in this country. However, many of these functions are currently fulfilled by the Office of the President of Ukraine. No one would argue that the chief diplomat of the country is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. So, as the head of the President’s Office, I take care of these matters by carrying out the President’s instructions. In this regard, I work as a national security adviser, like Jake Sullivan in the US, Jens Plötner in Germany, and so on’, Yermak explains why he is so involved in foreign policy.
He says he maintains good relations with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his entire ministry adding that he thinks traditional diplomacy cannot cope with Russia’s global influence. ’Traditional diplomacy has its limits in countering this machine’, he believes. According to Yermak, there is no red line drawn concerning interference with the powers of Kuleba. ’My powers end where the president’s instructions end’, he said.
’Under President Zelenskyy, there will never be another Minsk, nothing that Ukrainian society would not accept, and nothing that goes against Ukraine’s interests’, Andrii Yermak said when asked by the journalist whether Ukraine was ready to make concessions in implementing Ukraine’s 10-points Peace Formula.
Speaking about the countries that are trying to mediate for peace between Ukraine and Russia, Yermak emphasized that they have had a very bad experience with mediators. Having criticised the so-called Normandy Format, he expressed gratitude to Qatar and the Vatican for their efforts. In his opinion, countries such as China, which have influence over Russia, could be mediators.
’There have been historic changes between the US and Ukraine. We have become partners; indeed, we have a robust allied relationship’, Yermak responded to a question regarding the United States.
During the interview, he clarified what victory means to him. ’Victory is the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Victory is security guarantees. Victory is the return of all our people. Victory is holding war criminals accountable. Victory is obtaining compensation to rebuild our country. Victory is the return of all Ukrainian children. Victory is a new security architecture in Europe in which Ukraine will definitely play a leading role’, Andrii Yermak explained.
Judging by the words of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, one should conclude that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Minister himself, is not an important part of the Ukrainian power structure, with a decisive role in foreign policy, but a figurehead. All important foreign policy related decisions are taken by the Office of the President, which degrades the employees of the MFA to the level of subordinate officials.
From this perspective, Dmytro Kuleba’s talks with Western partners raise doubts: does he have the right or the courage to express any autonomous ideas at meetings, or his powers end with learning by heart the preparatory materials he received from Yermak? In light of this, how seriously should Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba be taken? He seems to be just a puppet in Yermak’s hands…
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