Ukraine's ambassador to Cyprus leaves post amid scandal, Foreign Ministry responds
Photo: Sergiy Nizhynskyi, Ukrainian Ambassador to Cyprus (facebook.com/sergiy.nizhynskyi.2025)
Ambassador's resignation letter
Earlier today, media outlets reported that Nizhynskyi had submitted a resignation letter addressed to the President of Ukraine.
He said his decision was prompted by what he described as demands from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to implement decisions that allegedly contradicted Ukrainian law and could harm the state's interests.
Foreign Ministry's response
In response to journalists' inquiries, the Foreign Ministry's press service described those allegations as false and manipulative.
The ministry noted that under Ukrainian law, Nizhynskyi does not have the authority to resign from the diplomatic service on his own, as he does not hold the required rank and category. As a result, officials said they have serious questions about the legal basis for the document that was made public.
"In reality, this is not about his voluntary resignation. By the time he leaked the information to the media, he had already been nominated for recall," the ministry said.
Reasons for the recall
The Foreign Minister submitted a request to the President to recall Nizhynskyi on June 10.
According to the ministry, the decision was based on a lack of significant results, the ambassador's passivity, and reputational risks he allegedly created for Ukraine during Cyprus's presidency of the EU.
"The decision to open the cluster, as well as most other important steps during this period, was achieved despite his work rather than because of it. His tenure in the Republic of Cyprus was characterized by inertia, passivity, and reputational risks for the state," the Foreign Ministry's press service said.
The ministry believes the diplomat learned in advance about the planned recall and decided to portray it as a voluntary resignation through the media while simultaneously making "groundless accusations against the leadership."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced planned personnel changes within Ukraine's diplomatic corps earlier this spring.
