New Ukrainian PM restructures cabinet, splits major ministries

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved a restructured Cabinet of Ministers submitted by newly appointed Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, expanding the number of government ministries from 15 to 17.

The structural reorganisation, voted through on July 16, reduces the number of vice prime ministers from four to three. However, the total number of individual ministries increases following the unbundling of several large state agencies.

Under the previous administration led by Yulia Sviridenko, the executive body comprised 17 members, including the prime minister, four vice prime ministers, and 12 ministers overseeing 15 departments. Under Koretsky’s newly confirmed configuration, the Cabinet will expand to 19 members once the heads of the defence and foreign ministry portfolios are formally appointed. This will consist of the prime minister, three vice prime ministers, and 15 ministers managing 17 distinct portfolios.

The expansion is driven by the formal separation of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture into two independent entities: the Ministry of Economy and Environment, and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

Additionally, the post of Vice Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Development of Communities and Territories has been abolished. Its previous responsibilities have been divided between two newly established departments: the Ministry for Communities, Territories, and Internally Displaced Persons, and the Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure, and Transport.

By Tamilla Hasanova