<p>Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk submitted his resignation for a second time after reports that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy might be gearing up to sack him, the Ukrainian news outlet NV reported on Friday night.</p>.<p>A source told Reuters that Honcharuk was set to leave but gave no further details. Neither Honcharuk's office nor Zelenskiy's office responded to requests for comment. Zelenskiy has convened a special parliament meeting on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Replacing Honcharuk would come at a time when confidence in Zelenskiy's government has fallen since the actor and comedian won a landslide election victory last year promising to end the war in the Donbass and tackle corruption.</p>.<p>Any reshuffle would come just as Ukraine is trying to secure the release of billions of dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund, a move contingent on Kiev's progress in passing reforms and tackling graft.</p>.<p>Honcharuk last week denied he had submitted his resignation or discussed his departure with Zelenskiy, but his position has been under scrutiny since the leak in January of a recording that suggested he made unflattering comments about Zelenskiy.</p>.<p>Zelenskiy himself acknowledged meeting Serhiy Tihipko, a businessman and veteran politician who was touted in the Ukrainian media as a potential replacement for Honcharuk.</p>.<p>Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmygal could be made acting prime minister while a permanent replacement was found, NV said.</p>.<p>Zelenskiy has prioritised ending the war in Donbass but while he has implemented some confidence-building measures with Russia, including prisoner swaps, the conflict simmers on.</p>.<p>Ukrainians' confidence in the government's ability to tackle key issues had waned, a report by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed last week.</p>.<p>Only 25% of Ukrainians think the authorities have been successful in resolving the Donbass conflict compared to 40% in December, it said.</p>.<p>About 83% said the fight against high-level corruption had been unsuccessful compared to 76% in December, and the proportion of Ukrainians who saw no progress in the investigation of high-profile criminal cases also rose.</p>.<p>Support for Honcharuk fell to 8% from 12% over the same period, while 33% have a negative view of him now.</p>.<p>Under Ukraine's system, it is parliament that has the power to appoint and fire the prime minister and the government. Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party has a majority in the chamber, meaning Zelenskiy could sack Honcharuk without needing the approval of other political parties.</p>
<p>Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk submitted his resignation for a second time after reports that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy might be gearing up to sack him, the Ukrainian news outlet NV reported on Friday night.</p>.<p>A source told Reuters that Honcharuk was set to leave but gave no further details. Neither Honcharuk's office nor Zelenskiy's office responded to requests for comment. Zelenskiy has convened a special parliament meeting on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Replacing Honcharuk would come at a time when confidence in Zelenskiy's government has fallen since the actor and comedian won a landslide election victory last year promising to end the war in the Donbass and tackle corruption.</p>.<p>Any reshuffle would come just as Ukraine is trying to secure the release of billions of dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund, a move contingent on Kiev's progress in passing reforms and tackling graft.</p>.<p>Honcharuk last week denied he had submitted his resignation or discussed his departure with Zelenskiy, but his position has been under scrutiny since the leak in January of a recording that suggested he made unflattering comments about Zelenskiy.</p>.<p>Zelenskiy himself acknowledged meeting Serhiy Tihipko, a businessman and veteran politician who was touted in the Ukrainian media as a potential replacement for Honcharuk.</p>.<p>Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmygal could be made acting prime minister while a permanent replacement was found, NV said.</p>.<p>Zelenskiy has prioritised ending the war in Donbass but while he has implemented some confidence-building measures with Russia, including prisoner swaps, the conflict simmers on.</p>.<p>Ukrainians' confidence in the government's ability to tackle key issues had waned, a report by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed last week.</p>.<p>Only 25% of Ukrainians think the authorities have been successful in resolving the Donbass conflict compared to 40% in December, it said.</p>.<p>About 83% said the fight against high-level corruption had been unsuccessful compared to 76% in December, and the proportion of Ukrainians who saw no progress in the investigation of high-profile criminal cases also rose.</p>.<p>Support for Honcharuk fell to 8% from 12% over the same period, while 33% have a negative view of him now.</p>.<p>Under Ukraine's system, it is parliament that has the power to appoint and fire the prime minister and the government. Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party has a majority in the chamber, meaning Zelenskiy could sack Honcharuk without needing the approval of other political parties.</p>