Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Monday rejected claims by its ambassador to Cyprus that he submitted a voluntary resignation, saying a formal recall process had already been initiated, amid accusations over performance and internal procedure disputes.

The ministry said allegations made by ambassador Sergii Nizhynskyi were “false and misleading” and said a proposal for his recall had already been submitted to the president before his comments were made public.

It added that the diplomat had no legal right to resign from diplomatic service, arguing that only category A diplomats with ambassadorial rank can do so.

The ministry further argued that Nizhinskyi’s tenure lacked substantive results, particularly during Cyprus’ EU council presidency, claiming key developments occurred despite rather than because of his work.

“His presence in Cyprus was characterised by inaction, passivity and risks to the reputation of the state,” the statement said.

Officials said the foreign minister had submitted a proposal to President Volodymyr Zelensky last Wednesday recommending recall due to what they described as insufficient promotion of Ukraine’s national interests during the period.

In response, Ukrainian media reports said the ambassador had submitted a resignation letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky, citing alleged pressure from Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha to implement decisions that he claimed contradicted Ukrainian law and could harm the state.

However, the ministry dismissed this account, insisting that Nizhinskyi had “leaked the information to the media” after being informed of the recall proposal and had attempted to present the situation as a voluntary exit.

It added that the evaluation of ambassadors was conducted under “clear criteria and determined by internal regulations”, and applied uniformly across diplomatic missions.

The foreign ministry maintained that the process followed internal rules and legal frameworks governing diplomatic service.