NNA -nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyynbsp;urged his government on Thursday to keep a tight rein on spending in wartime, in a call that resulted in his culture minister, a proponent of several high-profile and costly projects, offering his resignation.
ldquo;In a time of war like this the maximum amount of state attention and therefore state resourcesnbsp;should go to defense,rdquo; Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, referring to a conversation he had earlier with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
He told Shmyhal to find alternative funding for projects ldquo;that are really necessary. This applies to various areas, including culture. Museums, cultural centers, symbols, television series are important, but we have other priorities.rdquo;
Zelenskyy, who was a television comedy star before entering politics, said he had appealed to local councils to show restraint so that ldquo;people feel that budget resources are used fairly and correctly…Cobblestones, city decorations, fountains will have to wait. Victory first.rdquo;
And he asked Shmyhal to ldquo;consider replacingrdquo; Culture and Information Policy Minister Olexander Tkachenko.
Within an hour, Tkachenko said he had tendered his resignation, while remaining unapologetic about his projects.
ldquo;Culture in wartime is important as this war is not just about territory but also people – our memory, history, language and creativity despite the war,rdquo; Tkachenko, who headed a television channel before entering politics, wrote on Telegram.
ldquo;Private and state funding for culture in wartime is no less important than for drones. Culture is the shield for our identity and our borders.rdquo;
There was no word on whether his resignation had been accepted.
A high-profile public figure, Tkachenko had earlier in the day defended the allocation of the equivalent of $13.5 million to complete a museum devoted to Ukrainersquo;s man-made 1930s famine linked to Soviet dictator Josef Stalinrsquo;s collectivization drive.
He had also promoted a project, which he said was privately funded, to replace the Soviet-era coat of arms emblazoned on the shield of the 102-meter (335-foot) tall ldquo;Motherlandrdquo; statue of a woman standing just outside the cityrsquo;s World War Two museum.
Tkachenko had also promoted films and television programs linked to the war against Russia.–Reutersnbsp;
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