Key facts
- Ukraine's parliament appointed a new Cabinet on July 16, led by Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi.
- Decisions on the defense and foreign minister roles were deferred.
- President Zelensky is expected to submit new candidates for these positions.
- The vacant positions create a legal limbo for critical wartime ministries.
- Several ministers, including Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko and Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, were reappointed.
Ukraine's parliament approved a new Cabinet of Ministers on July 16, with Serhii Koretskyi installed as Prime Minister. However, decisions regarding the crucial roles of defense and foreign minister were postponed, leaving these key wartime ministries in a state of legal limbo. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to formally submit new candidates for these positions later.
Under Ukrainian law, both Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov automatically lost their posts following the government reshuffle. The delay in appointing successors has created uncertainty, particularly as the country continues to defend against Russia's full-scale invasion. The Foreign Ministry appeared unsure of its leadership following Sybiha's departure, with no clear official to assume day-to-day duties. Similarly, the Defense Ministry faces a leadership vacuum, as President Zelensky's initial announcement of an acting defense minister was not legally permissible without Cabinet approval.
Several key ministers retained their positions in the reshuffle. Denys Shmyhal continues as senior deputy prime minister and energy minister. Serhii Marchenko was reappointed as finance minister, and Viktor Lyashko remains health minister. Taras Vysotskyi was appointed agricultural policy minister, despite facing embezzlement charges. Oleksandr Kravchenko, a partner at McKinsey & Company, was named economy and ecology minister, and Ivan Vyhivskyi was appointed interior minister.
Lawmakers indicated that President Zelensky had cited a need to change Ukraine's 'political strategy' as the reason for the broader government reshuffle, though specific explanations for the ministerial changes remain largely unexplained. Parliament has paused its session until August 18, with no immediate plans to reconvene to approve new candidates for the vacant defense and foreign minister roles.