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Ukraine’s parliament has appointed Sergii Koretskyi as new prime minister as part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest government reshuffle.
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Koretskyi, who has led the state energy company Naftogaz since May 2025, takes office as Ukraine faces sustained Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Kyiv has said preparing the country’s energy system for the coming winter is a top priority as Moscow continues its campaign to degrade Ukraine’s power network, plunging cities into the dark during freezing temperatures.
Defence ministry scandal
Later on Thursday, Zelenskyy appointed the head of Ukraine’s Security service (SBU), Yevhenii Khmara, as acting Minister of Defence.
He also said he would seek parliamentary approval for Khmara’s appointment as minister.
“Once the necessary legal procedures have been completed, I will request that MPs support Yevhenii Khmara’s nomination for the position of Minister of Defence of Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy announced that he met with Khmara and discussed a “strategic vision for how Ukraine should continue to act proactively to defend our independence and compel Russia to engage in diplomacy”.
According to Zelenskyy, Khmara has gained extensive experience in conducting high-tech strike operations: “This is precisely what our defence efforts in this war must focus on.”
The news comes amid mass demonstration against Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister.
At a press conference on 16 July, Zelenskyy said it was right that Ukrainians were able to hold peaceful protests and express their views even during the war.
Why Zelenskyy reshuffled the cabinet
Zelenskyy announced the planned overhaul on 12 July, saying the government needed a “reset”.
He said the reshuffle would allow to recalibrate Ukraine’s wartime strategy, with a focus on energy resilience and the country’s EU accession.
Koretskyi’s nomination is seen as a natural choice given his experience at Naftogaz during Russia’s campaign to knock out Ukraine’s energy system.
With nationwide elections suspended under martial law amid Moscow’s full‑scale war, a reshuffle is Zelenskyy’s only realistic instrument of political renewal.
Koretskyi’s new cabinet
In line with Kyiv’s goal to accelerate its EU integration, Vsevolod Chentsov, the head of Ukraine’s mission to the European Union since 2021, has become deputy prime minister for European integration.
Taras Kachka, who has held this position until now, is expected to replace Chentsov in Brussels, according to Euronews sources, allowing Kyiv to keep its most experienced officials on the key EU accession portfolios while swapping their postings.
Ukraine’s foreign minister – a position the president submits separately – has not yet been voted in, but Euronews sources say Andrii Sybiha is set to keep his job.
Member of parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram that the new chiefs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence could be appointed at a plenary session on 18 August.
