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Volodymyr Zelenskyj at a meeting on January 20: After scandals surrounding corruption and enrichment, he is likely to replace other personnel soon
Photo: IMAGO/Ukraine Presidency/Ukraine Presi/IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
This article will be continuously updated.
Zelenskyy fires deputy head of his presidential office
8.34 a.m .:
The Vice President of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, has applied to Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyj for his dismissal after criticism of his work.
Zelenskyy complied with the request and dismissed the top official from his post, according to a decree published on the president's website.
Tymoshenko thanked Zelenskyy on the Telegram news channel for the trust and the opportunity to work for the country in times of war.
Tymoshenko had previously caused a stir because he had been traveling in a US SUV that the car company General Motors had provided for the rescue of citizens from the combat zones in the war zone and for humanitarian missions.
The official had defended his trips as official.
According to the Ukrainian media, Tymoshenko was also criticized for exceeding his duties as an official in the presidential administration in the regions and also for being politically active.
The presidential elections in Ukraine are next year.
Selenskyj has to fear competition from his own ranks.
In the past few days, after scandals surrounding corruption and enrichment in the state apparatus, Zelenskyj had announced more decisive action against misconduct.
A deputy minister was fired for allegedly taking bribes to buy power generators.
The Ministry of Defense has been criticized for having bought food for soldiers at inflated prices.
Many citizens in Ukraine suspect parts of the leadership of enriching themselves in the course of the large financial aid from the West.
Kretschmer: Debate on arms deliveries "difficult to bear"
8.31 a.m .:
The Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has criticized the German discussion about Leopard main battle tanks for Ukraine.
"Germany is supporting the Ukraine in a tremendous way," he told the "Leipziger Volkszeitung".
"I find it hard to accept that anyone who expresses concern about the supply of heavy weapons to the war zone is verbally abused."
In the past eleven months, many constants in German security and foreign policy have been thrown overboard without replacing them with new principles, Kretschmer complained.
The Christian Democrat has previously expressed serious concerns about the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
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Sweden's NATO accession - Stoltenberg rejects Erdoğan's blockade threat
8.22 a.m .:
After the protest action of a right-wing extremist, Erdoğan wants Sweden to finally withdraw support for joining NATO.
Secretary General Stoltenberg is now appealing to Ankara.
Read more here.
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The situation in the morning –
did Poland fill out the tank form correctly?
8.19 a.m .:
Today the question is how long Olaf Scholz’s decision to deliver the Leopard 2 will take.
We also deal with the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj, who wants to fight corruption - and with the Turkish President Erdoğan, who has rejected Sweden's NATO membership.
Read Mathieu von Rohr's situation in the morning here.
Rheinmetall could deliver 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Zelenskyj is planning government restructuring
8.16 a.m .:
According to Kiev, two million compatriots have been deported to Russia so far.
Apparently a school is destroyed every other day in Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz gets support from Luxembourg.
Read the latest developments here.
mgo/dpa/Reuters/AFP