The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство закордонних справ України) is the ministry of the

Ukrainian government The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ( uk, Кабінет Міністрів України, translit=Kabinet Ministriv Ukrainy; shortened to CabMin), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine ( uk, Уряд України, ''Uriad Ukrai ...

that oversees the

foreign relations of Ukraine Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the for ...

. The head of the ministry is the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

History

Originally, the ministry was established as the General Secretariat of Nationalities as part of the General Secretariat of Ukraine and was headed by the federalist

Serhiy Yefremov Serhiy Yefremov ( uk, Сергій Єфремов; October 18, 1876 – March 31, 1939) was a Ukrainian literary journalist, historian, critic, political activist, statesman, and academician. He was a member of the Ukrainian Academy of Scie ...

. Due to the Soviet intervention, the office was reformed into a ministry on December 22, 1917. About the same time, another government was formed (the Soviet) that proclaimed the Ukrainian government to be counter-revolutionary. The Ukrainian Soviet government also reorganized its office on March 1, 1918. In 1923, the office was liquidated by the government of the Soviet Union and reinstated in 1944, twenty years later. The first Soviet representatives were not of much note until the appointment of the Bulgarian native

Christian Rakovsky Christian Georgievich Rakovsky (russian: Христиа́н Гео́ргиевич Рако́вский; bg, Кръстьо Георги́ев Рако́вски; – September 11, 1941) was a Bulgarian-born socialist revolutionary, a Bolshevi ...

in 1919.

General overview

The ministry is located in Ukraine's capital

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

in the city's historic uppertown district, located in close proximity to the recently rebuilt

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery ( uk, Михайлівський золотоверхий монастир, ) is a monastery in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, dedicated to Michael the Archangel. The monastery is located on the edge of the ba ...

. The building of the ministry is also located on the Mykhailivska Square, named for the monastery and next to the park Volodymyrska Hill. The nomination of the Foreign Minister is done by the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

, unlike most nominations of

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘ prime minister� ...

which are done by the

Prime Minister of Ukraine The prime minister of Ukraine ( uk, Прем'єр-міністр України, ) is the head of government of Ukraine. The prime minister presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of th ...

. All minister nominations have to be approved by the

Ukrainian Parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

. ;Office of National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO Ukraine has been a member of UNESCO since May 12, 1954. From December 1962 Ukraine had established its permanent representation in the organization currently served by the Ambassador of Ukraine to France. The National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO was created as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Presidential decree #212/1996 on March 26, 1996. The Chair of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO is Sergiy Kyslytsya. The permanent representative of Ukraine to UNESCO is the Ambassador to France Kostiantyn Tymoshenko. Ukraine has 14 academic departments cooperating with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

as well as 63 schools associated with the organization.List of schools associated with UNESCO

List of Ministers

Officials before 1924

;General Secretary of Nationalities (June 28 - December 22, 1917) *

(Socialist-Federalist) (June 28 - July 17, 1917) * Oleksandr Shulhin (Socialist-Federalist) (July 17 - December 22, 1917) ;People's Secretary of Nationalities (December 14, 1917 - March 1, 1918) * Sergei Bakinsky (

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

) (December 14, 1917 - March 1, 1918) ;Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 22, 1917 - May 1920) * Oleksandr Shulhin (Socialist-Federalist) (December 22, 1917 - January 24, 1918) * Vsevolod Holubovych (Socialist-Revolutionary) (January 24 - March 3, 1918) * Mykola Liubynsky (Socialist-Revolutionary) (March 3 - April 28, 1918) * Mykola Vasylenko (Association of Ukrainian Progressionists) (April 30 - May 20, 1918) * Dmytro Doroshenko (Socialist-Federalist) (May 20 - November 14, 1918) * Georgiy Afanasyev (November 14 - December 14, 1918) * Volodymyr Chekhivsky ( Ukrainian Menshevik) (December 26, 1918 - February 11, 1919) * Kostiantyn Matsiyevych (February 13 - March 1919) * Volodymyr Temnytsky (

Social Democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

) (April - August 1919) * Andriy Livytskyi ( Ukrainian Menshevik) (August 1919 - May 1920) ;People's Secretaries of Foreign Affairs (March 1, 1918 - July 1923) *

Volodymyr Zatonsky Volodymyr Petrovych Zatonsky ( uk, Володи́мир Зато́нський, russian: Влади́мир Петро́вич Зато́нский ''Vladimir Petrovich Zatonsky''; July 27, 1888 – July 29, 1938) was a Soviet politician, aca ...

(

) (March 1–4, 1918) * Mykola Skrypnyk (

) (March 8 - April 18, 1918) *

(

) (January - July 1919) *

(

) (March 1920 - July 1923) ;State Secretaries of Foreign Affairs of Western Ukraine (November 1918 - February 1923) *

Vasyl Paneiko Vasyl Paneiko ( uk, Василь Лукич Панейко) (1883, Zlotshev – May 29, 1956, Caracas) was a Ukrainian politician, journalist and diplomat. Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs of the West Ukrainian People's Republic (1918–19 ...

(National Democrat) (November 1918 - January 1919) *

Lonhyn Tsehelsky Lonhyn Tsehelsky ( uk, Лонги́н Цеге́льський 29 July 1875 – 30 December 1950) was a Ukrainian lawyer, journalist and political leader who served in the Austrian parliament, who became Secretary of Internal Affairs and the Secret ...

(National Democrat) (January - February 1919) * Mykhailo Lozynsky (March - April 1919) * Stepan Vytvytskyi (National Democrat) (April 1919 - February 1920) *

Kost Levytsky Kost Levytsky ( uk, Кость Леви́цький; 18 November 1859 – 12 November 1941) was a Ukrainian politician. He was a founder of the Ukrainian National Democratic movement and the leader of the State Representative Body of the Ukrai ...

(National Democrat) (1920 - February 1923)

Officials after World War II

;People's Commissars of Foreign Affairs * Oleksandr Korniychuk (February - July 1944) * Dmitry Manuilsky (July 1944 - March 15, 1946) ;Ministers of Foreign Affairs * Dmitry Manuilsky (March 15, 1946 - 1952) *

Anatoliy Baranovsky Anatoliy Maksimovich Baranovsky ( uk, Анатолій Максимович Барановський) (25 January 1906 – 9 November 1988) was a Ukrainian politician, economist and diplomat. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian ...

(June 10, 1952 - June 17, 1953) ** Luka Palamarchuk (June 17, 1953 - May 11, 1954) * Luka Palamarchuk (May 11, 1954 - August 13, 1965) * Dmytro Bilokolos (March 16, 1966 - June 11, 1970) * Georgiy Shevel (August 10, 1970 - November 18, 1980) *

Volodymyr Martynenko Volodymyr Martynenko ( uk, Володимир Никифорович Мартиненко) (6 October 1923 – 18 April 1988) was a Ukrainian diplomat. He served as Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations. Minister of Foreign ...

(November 18, 1980 - December 28, 1984) *

Volodymyr Kravets Volodymyr Kravets (born May 31, 1981 in Krasnoarmiisk, Donetsk Oblast) is a male boxer from Ukraine, who competed for his Eastern European country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. There he was stopped in the first round of the men' ...

(December 28, 1984 - July 27, 1990) * Anatoliy Zlenko (July 27, 1990 - August 24, 1991) ;Ministers of Foreign Affairs (post-Soviet) Secretary Kerry Chats With Ukrainian Foreign Minister Deshchytsia Before Meeting With Russians

Secretary Kerry Chats With Ukrainian Foreign Minister Deshchytsia Before Meeting With Russians

* Anatoliy Zlenko (August 24, 1991 - August 25, 1994) ** Hennadiy Udovenko (August 25, 1994 - September 16, 1994) * Hennadiy Udovenko (September 16, 1994 - April 17, 1998) * Borys Tarasiuk (April 17, 1998 - September 29, 2000) * Anatoliy Zlenko (October 2, 2000 - September 2, 2003) * Kostyantyn Gryshchenko (September 2, 2003 - February 3, 2005) * Borys Tarasiuk (February 4, 2005 - December 1, 2006) ** Borys Tarasiuk (December 5, 2006 - January 30, 2007) **

Volodymyr Ohryzko Volodymyr Stanislavovych Ohryzko ( uk, Володимир Станiславович Огризко; born April 1, 1956) is a Ukrainian diplomat. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from December 18, 2007 to March 3, 2009, whe ...

(January 31, 2007 - March 21, 2007) * Arseniy Yatseniuk (March 21, 2007 - December 18, 2007) *

(December 18, 2007 - March 3, 2009) *

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

(October 9, 2009 - March 11, 2010) * Kostyantyn Gryshchenko (March 11, 2010 - December 24, 2012) *

Leonid Kozhara Leonid Oleksandrovych Kozhara ( uk, Леонід Олександрович Кожара, Russian language, Russian: Леонид Александрович Кожара, born 14 January 1963) is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. ...

(December 24, 2012 - February 23, 2014)Yanukovych appoints new Cabinet of Ministers

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(24 December 2012) **

Andrii Deshchytsia Andrii Bohdanovych Deshchytsia ( uk, Андрій Богданович Дещиця; born 22 September 1965) is a Ukrainian diplomat and politician. From February to June 2014 Deshchytsia was Acting Foreign minister of Ukraine. Deshchytsia was ...

(February 27, 2014 - June 19, 2014) * Pavlo Klimkin (June 19, 2014 - 29 August 2019) * Vadym Prystaiko (29 August 2019 - 4 March 2020) * Dmytro Kuleba (4 March 2020 - )

MFA of Ukraine Spokespersons

* Ihor Dolhov (2001—2002) *

Markiyan Lubkivsky Markiyan Romanovych Lubkivsky ( uk, Маркіян Романович Лубківський; born 2 September 1971) is a Ukrainian diplomat and politician. He was spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine from 2003 to 2005. He has worke ...

(2003—2005) * Vasyl Filipchuk (2005—2006) *

(2006—2008) * Vasyl Kyrylych (2008—2009) * Oleksandr Dykusarov (2010-2013) * Yevhen Perebyinis (2013-2015) * Mariana Betsa (2015—2018) * Kateryna Zelenko (2018—2020) * Oleh Nikolenko (2020-)

References

External links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on YouTube

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Facebook

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on VK
{{authority control

Foreign affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...

Foreign relations of Ukraine

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...