Zelenskyy expects parliament to appoint Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister soon
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he expects the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) to back Mykhailo Fedorov's nomination as Ukraine's defence minister as early as next week.
Source: Zelenskyy in his evening address
Quote: "Today there was a report by Mykhailo Fedorov, essentially on our defence plan – we discussed strategic issues.
I expect parliamentarians to approve Mykhailo as Ukraine's minister of defence next week."
Details: Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine has a plan for defence, just as it does for its diplomatic efforts.
"And which plan will be the main one for the year depends solely on the determination of our partners. The war must be ended. To achieve this, pressure must be put on Russia. Those who speak the language of ballistics and Shaheds understand nothing but force. We are working to ensure the world acts effectively," he said.
Background:
- On 2 January, Zelenskyy proposed that Fedorov be appointed as the new defence minister.
- On 5 January, Zelenskyy and Fedorov discussed the changes that Fedorov plans to implement as defence minister.
- On 9 January, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, reported that Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and Mykhailo Fedorov had resigned from their previous posts.
- Zelenskyy expects the parliament to approve Shmyhal for the posts of deputy prime minister and energy minister.
- The Verkhovna Rada will consider the resignations and appointments during the plenary week of 13-16 January.
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