President Viktor Yushchenko accepted Tuesday the resignation of Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk, a key presidential ally who had actively promoted pro-Western policy goals during his time in office.
Vyacheslav Kyrylenko said no matter who replaces Tarasyuk as foreign minister, the country's policy line would remain the same. "It will be a line towards European and North Atlantic integration."
The official said he hoped the ruling coalition in parliament, the Supreme Rada, would back the candidate nominated by the president.
Ukraine's parliament, in which Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych leads a 246-strong majority coalition, voted in early December to sack Tarasyuk, at the pro-Russian premier's request.
Kyrylenko said he resented the foreign minister's resignation: "Forcing Tarasyuk to step down is the last stage of a well-planned political lynching of a highly-skilled, competitive and globally-respected foreign minister. I don't think Ukraine benefited from his resignation."
The power struggle between the president and Yanukovych, who Yushchenko defeated two years ago in presidential polls but was forced to appoint as premier last August, has intensified recently, with parliament's sacking of president-appointed ministers. The premier has steadily consolidated his power, a process that culminated in a new Cabinet law passed by parliament last month, cutting the president's powers.
