Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on May 11 dismissing Mykhailo Yezhel as Ukraine's ambassador to Minsk, the presidential website reported on Tuesday.

On April 27, Poroshenko announced his decision to recall Ukrainian Ambassador Yezhel from Belarus.

"I made a decision to recall him [Yezhel], and appropriate documents are now being prepared to present our new ambassador […] In the Minsk accords format, Minsk is now playing a highly important role in [the region's] external defense policy and security police. Beyond any doubt, I have to take account of this role in order to maintain Ukraine's permanent presence in Minsk," he said.

Yezhel, who held the post of Ukraine's defense minister from March 2010 to February 2012, was appointed as Ukraine's ambassador to Minsk by the country's then-President Viktor Yanukovych.