Oksen Lisovyi, Nataliia Kalmykova, Oleksii Kuleba and Taras Kachka may not be included in the new Cabinet of Ministers, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing sources. On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, which led to the resignation of the entire government. The composition of the new Cabinet has not yet been officially approved.
Briefly about the main points
- RBC-Ukraine has reported on the possible replacement of four members of the government.
- On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation.
- The Prime Minister’s resignation means the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
- Serhiy Koretskyi’s appointment as Prime Minister has not been officially confirmed.
- On 14 July, Taras Kachka led the delegation at the Ukraine–EU conference.
Staffing decisions have not yet been taken
According to RBC-Ukraine, the Minister of Education and Science may not be included in the new government Oxen Forest, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Natalia Kalmykova, Deputy Prime Minister — Minister for Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka.
The publication’s initial report stated that it was almost certain Kuleba would not be included in the new government. As for the other three officials, there was talk of possible replacements. As of 14 July, there have been no public statements from Lisovyi, Kalmykova, Kuleba or Kachka regarding their dismissal or new appointments.
The government’s resignation has triggered the formation of a new cabinet
On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved the resignation Yulia Sviridenko. Under the procedure, the resignation of the Prime Minister entails the resignation of the entire Cabinet of Ministers; therefore, this is not a matter of individual dismissals of current officials, but of appointments the new government.
Reports that the new Cabinet of Ministers may be headed by Sergey Koretsky, this remains a media report citing unnamed sources. No official decision regarding his nomination or appointment as Prime Minister has been published in verified reports.
There may be a change to the structure of Kuleba’s department
According to RBC-Ukraine, the government has been discussing splitting the combined portfolio currently headed by Kuleba into separate ministries: the Ministry of Regional Development and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Reconstruction. The publication’s source named MP Vitaliy Bezgin as a candidate for the Ministry of Regional Development, but this is not an official nomination.
The division of the ministries, its parameters and the head of the infrastructure department have not yet been approved. If the reorganisation goes ahead, it could alter the distribution of powers between regional policy, reconstruction and infrastructure.
The path towards European integration at the time of the negotiations with the EU
On 14 July, Taras Kachka led the Ukrainian delegation at the Ukraine–EU intergovernmental conference in Brussels. There, negotiations were officially opened on Cluster 6, «External Relations», which covers external trade policy, security and defence.
RBC-Ukraine reported that Vsevolod Chentsov could be considered for the post of Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, and Mykola Trofimenko for the post of Minister of Education and Science. The publication emphasised that these were not finalised nominations. The source did not name a candidate to potentially replace Kalmykova.
What Ukraine’s partners expect
The EU’s High Representative, Kaja Kallas, described the formation of the Ukrainian government as an internal matter for Ukraine. At the same time, she emphasised the need to continue with reforms in order to advance the EU’s enlargement agenda.
Given the start of negotiations on a new cluster, it will likely be important for the new government to ensure continuity in the negotiations. This does not mean that specific personnel decisions have already been made: the composition of the Cabinet and the structure of the ministries remain unknown until official decisions are taken.
