President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with government representatives, during which he discussed personnel decisions for key positions in the Cabinet of Ministers. Special attention was given to selecting candidates for the positions of Minister of Energy and Minister of Justice, which currently remain vacant.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Personnel Consultations and Energy Stability
Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the Prime Minister of Ukraine, together with deputies from the majority faction, will work on agreeing on candidates for the aforementioned ministerial positions. As the head of state clarified, this approach was the subject of a separate discussion at the meeting with the majority faction that took place last week.
“We agreed that the Prime Minister, along with deputies from the majority faction, will coordinate candidates for the ministerial positions. This is exactly how it was discussed at the meeting with the faction that took place last week,” Zelensky stated.
In addition to personnel issues, the president heard reports on the restoration of energy infrastructure following another wave of massive strikes from Russia. The Cabinet of Ministers is actively preparing regulatory acts aimed at reducing the cost of natural gas for cogeneration plants, as well as deregulating the procedures for their installation. This is expected to facilitate a more efficient modernization of the country’s energy system.
Reasons for Dismissals and Further Steps by the Government
The president stressed the need to complete all competitive procedures for the construction of new generating capacities and to increase equipment reserves as soon as possible. He also instructed the government to strengthen cooperation with international partners to ensure adequate support for energy recovery.
Recall that on November 19, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Svitlana Hrynchuk from the position of Minister of Energy and Herman Halushchenko from the position of Minister of Justice. The reason for this was the results of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, which revealed potential corruption in the energy sector.
NABU detective Oleksandr Abakumov reported on the air of the program “Ukrainian Truth” that during the investigation, the involvement of four ministers from different periods of the Cabinet was recorded, not just the current officials.
Shortly after this, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that she had submitted a proposal to parliament for the dismissal of Herman Halushchenko and Svitlana Hrynchuk from their positions.