Zelenskyy nominates Naftogaz chief Koretskyi as prime minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has nominated Serhiy Koretskyi, the head of state energy company Naftogaz, to serve as prime minister, parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on Thursday, July 16.

The nomination has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which is expected to vote on a new cabinet on July 16.

Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he considers Koretskyi the most suitable candidate for the role under current conditions. Koretskyi has also met with the ruling Servant of the People faction, which holds a majority in parliament and is expected to formally back his candidacy.

Koretskyi, born in 1978 in Lutsk, studied at Lutsk State Technical University. He began his career with the Continuum Group while still a student and went on to lead the group’s management company in 2007, later overseeing the expansion of the WOG fuel station network. In 2022, he was appointed head of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta, and in 2025, he won a competitive selection process to become chief executive of Naftogaz.

The nomination follows the resignation earlier this week of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. She had reportedly been offered the position of Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States but declined, according to media reports.

The government reshuffle also includes the resignation of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is widely seen as the leading candidate to replace him.

By Tamilla Hasanova