The results of the dismissal of a Ukrainian minister during negotiations with Germany are canceled

Ukraine’s parliament dismissed the deputy prime minister for reconstruction on Thursday, leading to the cancellation of a meeting with German Development Minister Svenja Schulze, who had traveled to kyiv to meet him.

Schulze traveled to kyiv specifically to prepare for an international conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in Berlin in June.

Alexander Kubrakov, 41, had been Minister of Infrastructure since 2021 and Deputy Prime Minister since 2022. His ministry was also responsible for local and regional policy. He was also responsible for the logistics of Ukraine’s defense against the Russian-led war.

According to the statements of the Supreme Rada or Parliament, infrastructure and local government must be divided again.

Koubrakov wrote on Facebook that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the presidential party’s Servants of the People faction had not spoken to him about the decisions.

Schulze expressed his disappointment at Kubrakov’s dismissal and his concern about what it could mean for future cooperation and plans for the upcoming Berlin conference.

Her dismissal is “personally very, very unfortunate,” she said. Kubrakov was very committed to the fight against corruption and had achieved great success in this area. “And we’ve moved many projects forward with him.”

Schulze briefly met Kubrakov after arriving in kyiv, but due to the surprising turn of events the meeting was cut short. He gave the German minister a necklace with a white dove of peace, which she wore during her visit.

Various speculations were circulating in kyiv about the possible reasons for Kubrakov’s surprising dismissal. Some politicians claimed regional development had been neglected by the oversized combined ministry.

Zelensky announced at the end of March that a reshuffle could take place within the Ukrainian leadership.

Schulze, however, managed to sign German reconstruction grant contracts totaling 45 million euros ($48 million) to rebuild Ukraine’s power grid.

“Ukraine can only survive the war and manage its reconstruction with a functioning power supply,” Schulze said.

She stressed that Russia has deliberately bombed energy infrastructure in recent weeks: “Russia must not and will not succeed with this.”

The visit also focused on training skilled workers, including medical professionals and skilled artisans like electricians, which she said would be at least as important as tank expeditions for the country’s future.