MP says new head of Zelenskyy's Office has "bad cop" role in parliament
Kyrylo Budanov, the new head of the President's Office, has personally joined efforts to persuade members of parliament to support reshuffles in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), but he delegates most of the parliament-related work to Servant of the People faction leader Davyd Arakhamiia.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda profile of Budanov
Details: According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Verkhovna Rada, Budanov personally called individual MPs and asked them to back recent dismissals and appointments.
However, Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Servant of People faction say that Budanov generally delegates parliamentary work to Arakhamiia as much as possible, as they have a good relationship.
A top Servant of the People politician explained that the plan is for Budanov only to be involved in work with the Verkhovna Rada in exceptional situations.
"I think we will only involve Budanov in work with the Rada as a last resort. There should always be a 'bad cop' they'll be a bit afraid of," the Ukrainska Pravda source joked.
Background:
- On 2 January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that then First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo 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, Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said that Parliament had received resignation letters from Fedorov and then Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal.
- On 13 January, the Verkhovna Rada voted to relieve Shmyhal of his post so that he could take up the position of energy minister.
- On 14 January, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favour of appointing Fedorov as the new defence minister.
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