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Ukrainian officials resign as Zelensky attempts to please international allies

UKRAINIAN senior officials were purged from their roles today as President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted to please his international allies by tackling corruption amid his calls for war tanks.

Poland formally asked permission from Germany to transfer 14 of its Leopard II battle tanks to Ukraine — Warsaw needs permission from Berlin to send the German-built high-tech vehicles to a non-Nato country.

Ukraine’s Western allies, including Britain, have channelled billions to help Kiev’s fight against Russia and today Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, quit after Mr Zelensky pledged to address high-level corruption claims, including some related to specific wartime spending.

No reason was given for Mr Tymoshenko’s resignation but he was under investigation last year over his personal use of luxury cars and in September was among officials linked to the embezzlement of humanitarian aid worth more than $7 million (£5.7m).

Deputy Defence Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, local media reported, alleging his departure was linked to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the armed forces.

Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko quit too.

In total, four deputy ministers and five regional governors were set to leave their posts, the country’s cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities did not announce any criminal charges against the outgoing officials, or provide an immediate explanation.

On Sunday, a deputy minister at the infrastructure ministry, Vasyl Lozynsky, was dismissed for being part of a network allegedly embezzling budget funds.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency detained him as he received a $400,000 (£325,000) bribe for helping to fix contracts related to restoring facilities battered by Russian missile strikes.

In June, the EU agreed to put Ukraine on a path toward membership in the bloc. In order to join, countries must meet economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday that Berlin would not stop Poland from providing the tanks to Kiev if it asked.

And Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said today that the Poles and other Western allies are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland on using the Leopards.

Ukrainian officials said today that at least five children had been killed and seven others wounded by Russian shelling in the previous 24 hours.

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