Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Members of parliament conducted lengthy consultations with candidates for the positions of the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The interviews began in 18 August and lasted over five hours, and the next morning the meetings continued.
This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
What is known about the consultations held in the Rada?
In the discussions, factions and groups are analyzing the candidates' visions for the country's strategic goals and challenges.
Andriy Sybyha, whom the president proposes to reappoint as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and Yevheniy Khmara, who moved to the Ministry of Defense from the SBU, met with deputies from all parliamentary factions and groups.
They spoke about the tasks and challenges facing the state, as well as the candidates' views on the key priorities of work. After all, these are the heads of the departments whose work largely determines the country's defense capability, Ukraine's positions on the international arena, and the achievement of its strategic goals,
— the press service of the Verkhovna Rada reported.
Members of parliament also emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue between the government and parliament, a common understanding of priorities, and coordinated work on decisions.
It should be noted that during previous personnel changes in the government, the Ukrainian parliament did not manage to appoint the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, candidates for these posts are submitted by the president. Volodymyr Zelensky did not submit corresponding nominations before the MPs went on summer vacation, as a result plenary sessions of the Rada were not held until 18 August, and work continued exclusively in parliamentary committees.
Official nominations from the president arrived to the Verkhovna Rada by the evening 18 August, and the parliament intends to consider them today.
As a reminder, former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov recorded a message to Ukrainians and stated that Ukraine cannot remain without a fully appointed Minister of Defense and must find a legal mechanism for conducting elections even during a prolonged war. He also criticized corruption and systemic problems in state governance, emphasizing the need to restore public trust in the authorities.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Рада понад п'ять годин говорила з кандидатами на посади голів Міноборони та МЗС". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.