Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed to parliament to appoint the current Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal as Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, LETA reports citing Ukrainska Pravda.
“I met with Denys Shmyhal. Thank you for the systematic work in the Ministry of Defense and for the initiated processes to ensure the defense of our state,” Zelensky wrote on Saturday on Telegram.
“Such systematic work is exactly what is needed in Ukraine's energy sector right now. It is important for us to be able to quickly restore what has been destroyed after each strike from Russia and for the development of Ukraine's energy sector to be stable and meet the needs of the country,” he emphasized.
The President of Ukraine reported that he discussed this proposal with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and expects parliamentary approval.
According to the constitution, the president submits nominations for the positions of only the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In July, the parliament appointed former Prime Minister Shmyhal as Minister of Defense. Prior to that, he held the position of Prime Minister of Ukraine for five years.
On Friday, Zelensky announced that he proposed the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to take the position of Minister of Defense, while Shmyhal, who currently holds this position, would head another direction.
Zelensky made the statement about his intention to change the Minister of Defense on the same day he announced the appointment of a new head of the President's Office.
He approved the former head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov for this position.
Ukraine's energy sector is experiencing not only regular strikes from Russia but also a recent corruption scandal.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) reported on November 10 about the discovery of a large-scale corruption scheme surrounding the state energy company Energoatom.
Ministers of the government, longtime associate of the president Timur Mindich, and financier Alexander Tsukerman are at the center of the scandal.
In connection with the scandal, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk left their posts, and the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak also resigned.
Leave a comment