President has yet to submit nominees for defence and foreign ministers to Verkhovna Rada – Suspilne
On August 18, following a recess, the Verkhovna Rada will not consider the appointment of defence and foreign ministers.
As reported by Censor.NET, this is indicated by parliament’s agenda and information obtained by Suspilne from MPs.
No nominees for ministerial posts yet
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet submitted nominees for the posts of defence and foreign ministers.
According to several Suspilne sources in the Verkhovna Rada, parliament may currently lack enough votes to appoint acting Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara.
"For some MPs, this is not a question of being for or against Khmara; it is a vote against Fedorov. People are demanding Fedorov’s return. It is difficult to ignore that completely," an MP from the Servant of the People faction said.
Yevhenii Khmara is also an active-duty service member. However, under the Law of Ukraine "On National Security," the defence minister must be a civilian.
Meanwhile, protests against Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal as defence minister continue across Ukraine. August 18 marks the 33rd day of demonstrations.
Earlier, on August 16, thousands of people took part in marches in Kyiv and ten other cities, calling for Fedorov’s return, dialogue and reforms in the defence sector.
Cabinet of Ministers reshuffle, Fedorov’s resignation and new Commander-in-Chief
- On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada supported a resolution on the resignation of Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. The entire Cabinet of Ministers automatically resigned with her.
- On July 15, Mykhailo Fedorov said that he was stepping down as head of the Defence Ministry.
- Rallies in support of Mykhailo Fedorov took place in Dnipro, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, Cherkasy and other cities. Protesters are demonstrating against his resignation.
- On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada voted to appoint the new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Serhii Koretskyi was appointed Prime Minister.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would nominate Yevhen Khmara for the post of Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Prior to this, he had instructed Khmara to act as head of the Ministry of Defence.
- Protests against Fedorov’s dismissal continued in Ukrainian cities. In addition to demanding that Fedorov be reinstated as Defence Minister, people called for the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
- On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi to the post instead.
