MPs spent five hours with ministerial candidates on Tuesday: defence committee approves Khmara this morning

Ukrainian MPs spent more than five hours speaking with candidates for the positions of defence minister and foreign minister on 18 August. The meetings continued on the morning of 19 August.

Source: Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) press service; Yaroslav Zhelezniak, an MP from the Holos (Voice) party

Details: Zhelezniak said the parliamentary defence committee unanimously supported Khmara's candidacy for defence minister, with all 15 members voting in favour.

Meetings between MPs from parliamentary factions and groups and the candidates for defence minister and foreign minister – Yevhenii Khmara and Andrii Sybiha – continued on the morning of 19 August.

The previous day, the discussions lasted more than five hours. The MPs and candidates reportedly discussed the tasks and challenges facing the state, as well as the candidates' vision for key priorities.

Members of parliament emphasised the importance of constant dialogue between the government and parliament, a shared understanding of priorities and coordinated work on decisions and legislative initiatives necessary to strengthen the state's defence capabilities, the Verkhovna Rada press service states.

Background:

• On 18 August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted Khmara's and Sybiha's nominations for the positions of defence and foreign ministers respectively to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.
• Protests in support of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov have been ongoing in Ukraine for more than a month.

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