Ukraine President Rejects PM's Resignation Over Leaked Recording

Ukraine's prime minister offered to quit on Friday after a leaked recording emerged of him questioning President Volodymyr Zelensky's grasp of economics, in the first major political test for the inexperienced leader.

It was unclear whether Zelensky would accept Oleksiy Goncharuk's resignation, which came after the recording emerged of him saying the president had a "primitive understanding" of the economy.

Zelensky, a comedian with no previous political experience, came to power after a landslide win in last year's presidential election.

His "Servant of the People" party later won a large majority in parliament.

He has been embroiled in the US impeachment process and faced tough talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but had so far managed to avoid any significant domestic political problems.

The audio recording was leaked on social media on Wednesday and came from an informal December meeting between ministers and senior officials from the National Bank.

According to local media reports, the participants discussed how to explain recent economic developments to Zelensky.

"Zelensky has a very primitive understanding of economic processes, or rather a simple understanding," Goncharuk said on the recording, adding that he himself was an economic "ignoramus".

After initially denying reports he would step down, Goncharuk announced on his official Facebook page on Friday that he had offered to resign.

"To remove any doubts about our respect for and trust in the president, I have written a resignation letter," wrote Goncharuk.

Zelensky's office said it had received the letter of resignation and would consider it.

The president later ordered that the people involved in recording conversations between officials be identified.

"I demand that in two weeks, as soon as possible, we receive information regarding who recorded the negotiations," Zelensky said during a meeting with law enforcement chiefs.

Goncharuk, 35, became Ukraine's youngest-ever prime minister after Zelensky nominated him in August, part of a team of fresh faces he promised would shake up the stagnant political scene.

The young lawyer was tasked with helping to revive an economy hit hard by corruption and Ukraine's five-year conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the east.

Considered a supporter of liberal economic reforms, Goncharuk had co-founded a law firm at the age of 24 and managed an EU-funded NGO to improve the business environment in Ukraine.

In the first foreign reaction, the European Union ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas said the Goncharuk's announcement would not affect cooperation with Kiev.

"In whatever direction political events develop, cooperation with the Ukrainian government will continue," he told hromadske.ua news outlet.

Several ministers said they backed Goncharuk after he offered to resign.

"We are a united team," Social Policy Minister Yulia Sokolovskaya said. "We support the position of the prime minister and are waiting for the decision of the president."

The hiring and firing of prime ministers is the formal remit of the parliament and some criticised Goncharuk for sending his letter directly to the president.

Zelensky came to power promising sweeping change and has since taken several steps to resolve the separatist conflict, including prisoner exchanges and a landmark meeting with Putin in Paris last month.

But critics have accused him of doing little so far to boost the economy or tackle endemic corruption.