Ukraine’s interior minister declines defence chief post, says MP

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has declined the position of defence minister, and a parliamentary vote on the appointment will not take place on July 16, according to Verkhovna Rada (parliament) member Mariia Mezentseva.

“The defence minister will not be elected today. Additional consultations will take place within the faction because Klymenko has declined the position,” Mezentseva said, as quoted by the Telegram channel Insider.

Another lawmaker, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, wrote on his Telegram channel that even if Klymenko were formally nominated, he would be unlikely to secure enough votes to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, MP Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk said on Telegram that the candidates for all other ministerial posts have been agreed upon, with the exception of the foreign minister. She noted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet submitted a nominee for that position.

According to Vasylevska-Smahliuk, the remaining ministerial appointments are expected to be approved through a package vote following a two-hour parliamentary recess.

By Jeyhun Aghazada