In an unprecedented move, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday sacked Kyiv's ambassador to five countries - India, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary.

It was not known why Zelenskyy, who has asked his envoys to gather international support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, took the step and whether the diplomants would be given new jobs.

"This rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice," said Zelenskyy, as reported by Reuters.

Ukraine's relations with Germany have become an issue for both countries as the latter is heavily dependent on Russia for its energy needs. Andriy Melnyk was Ukraine's ambassador to Germany and is well known among politicians and diplomats in Berlin.

Melnyk, 46, however, has been a critic of German leaders and had once accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of behaving like an "offended liver sausage" after he did not immediately accept an invitation by Zelenskyy to visit Kyiv.

Recently, Ukraine and Germany once again found each other at the odds over a German-made turbine undergoing maintenance in Canada.

Germany wants Ottawa to return the turbine to Russian natural gas giant Gazprom to pump gas to Europe, but Kyiv had urged Canada to keep the turbine, saying a return would violate sanctions on Moscow.

Canada, however, said on Saturday it would return the turbine.

It, however, is not known yet why Zelenskyy sacked Ukraine's ambassador to India, which has urged both Kyiv and Moscow to end all hostilities and resolve differences via talks. India, however, has refused to vote against Russia at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a move that might have irked Ukraine.

"If India has chosen a side, it is a side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence. This is our principled stand and has consistently guided our position in international forums and debates, including in the UN," External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar said earlier.

(With inputs from agencies)