Kyiv plans defence leadership overhaul amid government reshuffle

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering replacing Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as part of a broader government reshuffle, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

The report says Zelenskyy asked Fedorov during meetings on July 11 and 12 whether he would be willing to become prime minister, but the defence minister declined the proposal.

According to the sources, Fedorov's decision was driven by the fact that he had assumed leadership of the Defence Ministry only a few months ago and had just begun implementing his own reform agenda. As a result, the July 12 meeting between Zelenskyy and Fedorov was described as "more of a working meeting than an actual interview for the post of prime minister."

Following the meeting, Fedorov reportedly reassured colleagues that "all is well" and that he was continuing his work.

However, Ukrainska Pravda cited several government sources as saying the situation may be more uncertain.

"However, several Ukrainska Pravda sources in the government team are convinced this is not entirely true – or perhaps not true at all. One possibility is that Zelenskyy will offer Fedorov a return to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, or another largely symbolic post. That may explain why, in parallel, the president has asked Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko to be ready to move to the Defence Ministry. Klymenko reports directly to the president and is closely aligned with him, while the Interior Ministry remains heavily influenced by Oleh Tatarov, a deputy head of the President's Office," the article reports.

If Klymenko is appointed defence minister, the Interior Ministry could be headed by Ivan Vyhivskyi, the current chief of the National Police, according to the report's sources.

On July 12, Zelenskyy announced the need for a Cabinet reshuffle and confirmed that Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko would step down.

No final decision has yet been made on Ukraine's next prime minister. Four candidates remain under consideration: Serhii Koretskyi, Denys Shmyhal, Mykhailo Fedorov and Ihor Terekhov.

By Vafa Guliyeva