Ukrainian PM offers to quit in audiotape furore

by IANS |

Kiev, Jan 17 (IANS) Ukraine's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk on Friday tendered his resignation after a leaked audio recording apparently revealed him criticising President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A voice sounding like Honcharuk's, but not officially confirmed as his, says President Zelensky, a TV comedian and businessman who was elected last April, only has a "primitive" understanding of economics, reports the BBC.

"To remove any doubts in our respect for and trust in the President, I have written a resignation letter and submitted it to the president with the right to hand it to the Parliament," Honcharuk, 35, made the announcement on his official Facebook page.

"He is a man in whom Ukrainians have expressed unprecedented confidence. And he has every right to evaluate the effectiveness of every member of his team."

The presidential office said Zelensky had received the resignation and would consider it, reports Xinhua news agency.

The controversial audiotape was uploaded to an anonymous YouTube channel on Wednesday evening.

Honcharuk was apparently discussing the national budget with some other government ministers and finance chiefs.

Latest News
Wall collapse near historic Ahmedabad site: 2 dead, 3 injured, vehicles buried under debris Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 05:00 PM
Aurionpro Solutions to acquire PaaS startup Arya.ai Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:51 PM
Maha: 5 Vidarbha constituencies record 44.12 pc polling till 3 pm Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:49 PM
Football: Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann signs contract extension until 2026 Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:44 PM
Sensex, Nifty witness worst week since March 15 amid Iran-Israel conflict Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:42 PM
Nigerian military kills 192 suspected terrorists in one week Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:38 PM
LS polls: Priyanka Gandhi to visit Kerala for campaigning on Saturday Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:34 PM
One crew member killed in Russian Tu-22M3 plane crash Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:28 PM
7 killed in fire in Indonesia's Jakarta Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:28 PM
30 injured in accident on Capri ferry in Naples Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:27 PM
German Chancellor urges against escalation in the Middle East Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:24 PM
Cops nab man for impersonating Lufthansa customer care executive, duping people Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:22 PM
Mizoram's sole LS seat records 50 per cent polling till 3 p.m. Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:19 PM
Over 43 pc voting in J&K's Kathua-Udhampur LS seat till 1 pm Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:17 PM
Tamil Nadu records 40.05 pc voting till 1 pm Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 04:02 PM