Acting energy minister refutes resignation letter rumors

Acting Energy Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko has denied recent reports of him allegedly filing a letter of resignation.

Vitrenko continues to serve as head of the ministry, according to his statement posted by the ministry's press service via Facebook on April 8.

"I continue to act as energy minister, and I'm preparing for a trip as member of Ukraine's official delegation within the Ukrainian President's foreign visit, scheduled for the coming days," the press service quoted Vitrenko as saying.

The official added that rumors of the alleged complaints on the part of government, the President's Office, and international partners as regards the ministry's work under his leadership are manipulative in nature.

On March 29, 2021, Vitrenko visited Qatar capital Doha where he held talks with the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi. The talks were one of the elements in preparation of Ukrainian President's official visit to Qatar, aimed at shaping up agreements in the energy sector, the report said.

Read alsoUkraine, Qatar sign oil and gas memorandumThe two states did reach the relevant agreements, officials reported this week. On Monday, April 5, in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a number of bilateral documents on cooperation between Ukraine and the State of Qatar were signed, in particular, a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of energy between Ukraine's Energy Ministry and Qatar Petroleum.

Vitrenko stayed in Doha along with the other members of the Ukrainian delegation on April 6 to hold working meetings following Zelensky's visit. He returned to Kyiv on April 7.

"We have enough external threats, which require teamwork on the part of state authorities to effectively combat them. As acting energy minister I'm making every effort to this end," he added.

Background

On April 7, certain media released reports citing sources alleging that Vitrenko had written a letter of resignation.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, twice failed to support Vitrenko's appointment as first deputy prime minister. He has been holding his current post of energy minister since late December 2020.

In 2014-2020, Vitrenko held senior positions at Naftogaz. In 2018, he was appointed executive chief of Naftogaz, and in 2019 – chair of the supervisory board of Ukraine's largest oil producer, Ukrnafta.