Ukraine's economy minister resigns over stalled reforms

"Today, I made the decision to submit by resignation from the post of minister of Ukraine's economic development and trade," the Lithuanian-born Abromavicius told reporters in Kyiv on February 3. "The reason is the sharp escalation in efforts to block systemic and important reforms." Abromavicius and Ukraine's U.S.-born Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko were both appointed in December 2014 as part of President Petro Poroshenko's efforts to bring fresh faces as part of the country’s attempts to recover its economy.  U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt on February 3 described Abromavicius was "one of the Ukrainian government's great champions of reform." His resignation comes amid growing parliamentary anger with Poroshenko's government and infighting between various political interests that are tied to powerful business tycoons.