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Mykhailo Fedorov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a Ramstein meeting in Brussels on June 18, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet determined whether Mykhailo Fedorov will continue as defense minister in the new government lineup, he told reporters on July 15, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he would meet with Fedorov ahead of a meeting of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, which is set to take place on the evening of July 15 with prime ministerial candidate Sergii Koretskyi, chairman of Naftogaz's board, in attendance.
"The second priority is dialogue between the army and the Defense Ministry, resolving problems with the military recruitment offices, and closing the skies," the president said. “I will also have conversations today about this with our military leadership as well as with Ukraine's defense minister. All of this will happen before the faction meeting.”
Zelenskyy said he would also hear Koretskyi's proposals for ministers in the new government.
Several sources within Fedorov's team previously told NV Business that there was no clarity within the team over whether their chief would remain in the new cabinet.
LB.ua, citing its own sources close to Interior Ministry leadership, reported that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko could be appointed defense minister in the new government.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the president asked Fedorov whether he was willing to lead the government, but Fedorov declined. Sources told the outlet that Fedorov's decision stemmed from the fact that he had only joined the Defense Ministry a few months earlier and had just begun implementing his vision for reforming the agency.
Svyrydenko's resignation and the Cabinet overhaul
On July 12, Zelenskyy announced that changes to the government were coming and offered Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko a different position. Svyrydenko confirmed she would step down as prime minister.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak had said potential candidates for prime minister included current Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Naftogaz board chairman Sergii Koretskyi. Zheleznyak and several media outlets later reported that Koretskyi was the leading candidate to head the next composition of the Cabinet of Ministers.
On July 14, Ukraine's parliament approved Svyrydenko's resignation. Until a new prime minister is appointed and a new cabinet formed, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal will temporarily lead the government.
Interfax-Ukraine had reported that Svyrydenko could become Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, replacing Olga Stefanishyna, who requested to end her diplomatic service for personal reasons. Zheleznyak said the change in ambassadors was "somewhat of a forced move."
On July 14, public broadcaster Suspilne reported that Svyrydenko was not considering the U.S. ambassador post for herself.
On July 15, Servant of the People faction leader David Arakhamia confirmed that Koretskyi took part in a faction meeting as the prime ministerial candidate and outlined his vision for the Cabinet's work and government structure.
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