Ukrainian agriculture minister offers resignation following corruption allegations – POLITICO

“The application will be considered at one of the next plenary sessions,” Stefanchuk said.

Solskyi later added that he was leaving his fate to Parliament.

“Yes, I wrote a letter of resignation from the post of minister. In this situation, I think it’s the right measure. If the Verkhovna Rada decides to accept my resignation, I will be grateful to it for such a decision, and if it decides that I should continue to work, I will continue to work,” he said in a statement shared by the The Minister of Agriculture.

The 44-year-old, owner of several agricultural businesses and one of Ukraine’s richest officials, is the highest-ranking minister in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to be named as a suspect in a criminal case. Last year, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency NABU accused one of its deputies of participating in an embezzlement scheme involving the purchase of humanitarian aid.

Solskyi was elected to Ukraine’s parliament in 2019 and appointed agriculture minister in March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian media have reported that he has fallen out of favor with Zelensky and is considering his dismissal.

Several groups in Ukraine’s agricultural industry, including the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, expressed support for Solskyi on Thursday and said they were ready to pay the 4.7 million euros bail demanded by prosecutors.