EU bids to finalise new Russia sanctions amid discontent from some member states – Europe live

in Dnipro Some much-awaited changes in the way the Ukrainian army is organised will kick in today, after president Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests. View image in fullscreen Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi attends a meeting with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Ser/Reuters In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi , a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Drapatyi would oversee a reorganisation of the army’s command structure, Ukraine’s president said. Zelenskyy said he was bringing Mykhailo Fedorov back into government after his removal as defence minister prompted thousands of people to demonstrate in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, in one of the biggest political crises since Russia’s 2022 invasion. 1:32 Why Ukrainians are protesting against Zelenskyy's dismissal of defence minister – video Ukraine’s president paid tribute to Syrskyi and credited him with leading the defence of Kyiv and launching a counter-invasion of Russia’s Kursk province in summer 2024, in which foreign tanks rolled on to Russian territory for the first time since the second world war. “We have come a long way. The defence of Ukraine continues. And every soldier deserves to be treated with respect,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he was grateful to Syrskyi and to “every one of our soldiers” fighting on the frontline. Zelenskyy will be hoping that his radical reshuffle of the army’s leadership will assuage protesters who have taken to the streets demanding Syrskyi’s removal. They had given a deadline of Friday for Fedorov to be reinstated and promised “indefinite protests” if their request was ignored. Zelenskyy fires Ukraine’s army chief and offers Fedorov ‘prominent position’ Read more