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Ukraine Prime Minister Resigns, as Kiev Moves Toward Elections
(35 minutes later)
KIEV, Ukraine — The ruling coalition in Ukraine’s Parliament collapsed on Thursday as part of a pre-negotiated plan to hold early elections this fall and complete the transformation of the government that began with the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanukovych in February.
KIEV, Ukraine — Prime Minister Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, a pro-Western technocrat who has guided the Ukrainian government through the tumultous months since the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanukovyvch, resigned abruptly on Thursday, after the governing coalition of Parliament collapsed.
The move also suggested some optimism on the part of President Petro O. Poroshenko and his political allies that the Ukrainian military will soon succeed in quashing the pro-Russian separatist insurrection that has beset eastern Ukraine since early April.
“I declare my resignation in connection with the collapse of the coalition and blocking of government initiatives,” Mr. Yatsenyuk said from the rostrum of Parliament, according to Ukrainian news services.
Although fierce fighting continues, particularly near the Russian border, the Ukraine military has made major advances in recent days and Mr. Poroshenko’s aides have told allies that they believe the military operation can be completed within two or three weeks, provided that there is no invasion by Russia or a large new influx of weapons and fighters across the border.
Earlier in the day, two major parties announced they were leaving the governing coalition, a step that would allow President Petro O. Poroshenko to dissolve Parliament and call elections for next fall.
Mr. Poroshenko, in a statement on Thursday, praised lawmakers and said their move reflected the will of Ukrainian voters demanding to replace the Parliament, which was elected in 2012 and still includes many members who once supported Mr. Yanukovych. “All opinion polls, as well as direct communication with the people, shows that the public wants a full rebooting of the authorities,” Mr. Poroshenko said in a statement.
That announcement followed weeks of negotiations between the parties, but the move was apparently not supported by Mr. Yatsenyuk’s Fatherland Party, which is led by the former prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, who had challenged Mr. Poroshenko for the presidency.
The collapse of the coalition was the result of the withdrawal of two parties, Udar, which is led by the former boxer Vitali Klitschko, and Svoboda, a nationalist party. The development followed weeks of negotiations, details of which were not immediately disclosed.
Under the Ukrainian Constitution, the Parliament chooses the prime minister, and members must vote to accept a resignation. It was not immediately clear if Mr. Yatsenyuk’s announcement meant he was leaving the government or if relinquishing the prime ministership was a symbolic step.
Mr. Klitschko and Mr. Poroshenko formed a political alliance in April, when Mr. Klitschko dropped his own campaign for the presidency, endorsed Mr. Poroshenko and instead campaigned to become mayor of Kiev, the capital, an office he now holds.
Mr. Poroshenko said the withdrawal of the two parties showed that lawmakers were not clinging to their seats “but feel the mood of voters.”
Under the Ukrainian Constitution, the process of replacing Parliament will take several months, and Mr. Poroshenko urged lawmakers to work productively in the meantime. “The withdrawal of members from the coalition should not paralyze the work of Parliament,” he said. “Parliament is obliged to continue to address issues of national importance.”
Mr. Poroshenko cited the need to adopt budget amendments, including financing for the military, as well as steps needed to comply with demands of international creditors who helped save Ukraine from default earlier this year.
“I urged all members of Parliament to work responsibly,” Mr. Poroshenko said, “with the knowledge that Ukraine is now fighting for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, for the very existence of our country, for the future of the Ukrainian people.”
The parliamentary elections will probably be held in late October or early November, a potentially ambitious timetable even if the military operation ends soon, given the deep damage to infrastructure and the displacement of citizens who fled eastern Ukraine to escape the fighting.
Although there has been broad public demand for elections since the ouster of Mr. Yanukovych, holding swift elections may allow Mr. Poroshenko to capitalize on widespread anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine, including in parts of the east, presumably lifting the prospects of candidates who support the new government and favor integration with Europe.
The developments in Parliament on Thursday highlighted the difficulties Ukrainian leaders have faced trying to run a country that was on the verge of financial collapse even before Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, and rebels in the east plunged the country into war.
Hostilities have not slowed since the downing last week of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was destroyed by a missile over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Ukrainian officials said they were alarmed by a growing mobilization of Russian military units along the border.
Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said at a briefing on Thursday that four more Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in fighting overnight. On Wednesday, two Ukrainian military jets were shot down near the Russian border.
Ukraine and the United States have said they have evidence indicating that the Malaysia Airlines jet was brought down by a surface-to-air missile system supplied by Russia, and fired from territory in rebel-occupied eastern Ukraine, possibly with the support of Russian military advisers.
Russia has denied any involvement, and on Thursday, a deputy defense minister of Russia, Anatoly Antonov, challenged the United States to make public evidence to support its assertion.
“It has been announced that the U.S. technical intelligence data and satellite images confirm the launch of a missile from the territory under the rebel’ control,” Mr. Antonov said. “I have a question: where are these data? Why they were not presented to public? Or are they, so to say, not completely prepared?”
Mr. Antonov also repeated Russia’s claims that the Ukrainian military might have been responsible for downing the passenger jet.
“American representatives have ruled out the Ukrainian army’s role because the plane allegedly flew outside of the range of their missiles,” he said. “The question is: are these Americans prepared to testify that this was exactly so? Do they know where in Ukraine all missile complexes are located?”
