Zelensky refused to fire the Prime Minister of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to give effect to the statement of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, who has submitted his resignation.

“I received a letter of resignation from you today and, in connection with the latest conflict situations, or scandals, whatever, let’s say, with a very unpleasant situation <...> I decided to give you a chance and a chance for your government if you solve some issues which are very important today and are of great concern to our society,” Zelensky said at a meeting with Goncharuk.

Under Ukrainian law, the issue of the resignation of the prime minister is considered by the Verkhovna Rada. To dismiss Honcharuk, Zelensky would have to pass his statement to the speaker of parliament. The Servant of the People party, which has a majority in the Rada, previously stated that they would support the resignation of the head of government if Zelensky supported it.

Honcharuk wrote his letter of resignation after publishing audio recordings on the Internet in which a man with a voice similar to that of the prime minister says that “Zelensky has a very primitive understanding of economic processes” and calls himself a “complete layman” in economics.

• Oleksiy Honcharuk has been leading the government of Ukraine since August 2019. Volodymyr Zelensky took office as President of the country in May 2019.