President Volodymyr Zelensky praised new Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi’s background in running state energy companies as Ukraine’s new government began work on Thursday.
Zelensky said Koretskyi’s strength lies specifically in his experience at state-run energy companies, crediting him with reforming Ukrnafta after years of oligarchic control and steering Naftogaz through a difficult last winter despite Russian strikes.
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“Thanks to Serhii, Ukrnafta began working genuinely for our state,” Zelensky said, adding that “despite all the Russian strikes, Ukraine had gas.”
Winter preparation remains a top priority
Full preparation for the coming winter remains an essential task for the new government, alongside continued investment in Ukraine’s long-range strike capability to slow Russia’s war machine and deter further escalation.
“Under any scenario, Ukraine must be fully ready to protect lives, protect our people, and ensure we get through the winter,” Zelensky said. “This is our main shared Ukrainian task for the new government.”
Faster coordination with partners
Under the new government, Ukraine’s approach to working with international partners is expected to shift greatly, with Zelensky calling for faster implementation of agreements already reached.
Zelensky’s cabinet reshuffle
In a sweeping wartime cabinet reshuffle, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved Koretskyi as prime minister. Lawmakers voted to confirm Koretskyi on Thursday, following a nomination submitted by Zelensky and formally announced by Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk the previous evening. A total of 289 lawmakers backed his appointment.
Zelensky Names SBU’s Khmara Acting Defense Minister, Cites Strike Operations Experience
Most recently, Zelensky named Yevhen Khmara, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as acting Minister of Defense following Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal. The move came without parliamentary approval, prompting analysts to question its legality.
Fedorov was dismissed as Ukraine’s defense minister on Wednesday, following the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved a new government, lacking both a foreign minister and a defense minister, until Zelensky’s most recent nomination of Khmara.
Fedorov’s dismissal sparked protests in Lviv, which erupted in Kyiv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, and other cities by the following morning.
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