Ukraine gets a new prime minister. Who is Serhii Koretskyi?

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has approved the appointment of Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister. Koretskyi previously served as CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine, the country's largest oil and gas company, and Ukrnafta, Ukraine's largest oil producer.

Source: voting in the Verkhovna Rada

Details: Ukrainian MPs have just supported the decision, with 289 voting in favour.

The key priorities President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set out ahead of Koretskyi's appointment are preparing the country for winter, protecting energy and fuel infrastructure, stabilising the economic situation and effectively managing international aid. Officials expect the coming winter to be the toughest of the entire war.

Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada ahead of his appointment, Koretskyi outlined the government's key priorities going forward.

Quote: "This means fully supplying the defence forces, building up the capacity of Ukraine's defence industry and supporting the population and social protection, specifically for residents of frontline communities."

More details: Koretskyi separately pointed out that preparing the country for the next heating season is one of the government's key tasks.

Among his other priorities, he named supporting businesses to ensure economic stability, deepening cooperation with Kyiv's international partners, effectively using international aid and implementing housing programmes for Ukrainians.

Koretskyi's professional path is unusual by Ukrainian political standards. He did not rise through party structures or state institutions, but came from the business world, where he spent more than 20 years building companies, streamlining processes and managing large teams.

Ekonomichna Pravda sources in government circles say his reputation as an effective crisis manager was the key reason the president considered him for the post of prime minister.

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