Zelenskiy endorses energy boss as new Ukraine prime minister

KYIV, July 15 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy endorsed the head of the state energy company on Wednesday to be Ukraine’s new prime minister, while giving no clear answer on the future of the defence minister at a pivotal juncture in the war.

Zelenskiy pushed out Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko this week after just a year on the job. Parliament accepted her resignation on Tuesday and is expected to vote on her successor on Thursday. Zelenskiy has given little explanation for the move so far, apart from saying the aim is to refresh the leadership.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said the CEO of the state-owned energy company Naftogaz, Sergii Koretskyi, was the best candidate for prime minister, because Ukraine’s priority was preparing for the upcoming winter.

Parliament names the prime minister and is likely to accept Zelenskiy’s preferred candidate as his party controls a majority.

“The priorities are clear – preparing for winter,” Zelenskiy said. “Therefore, following all the consultations, Sergii Koretskyi is surely the most prepared candidate for the post of prime minister of Ukraine.”

The prime minister’s resignation automatically triggers the resignation of the entire cabinet, meaning a wider shakeup is expected.

Particular attention has turned to the fate of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, at a time when the tide on the battlefield has been shifting in Ukraine’s favour as it presses a campaign of long-range drone attacks on Russia.

Fedorov, 35, is a promoter of technological innovations who comes from outside the defence ministry establishment and took charge there six months ago.

Asked whether Fedorov would retain his post as defence minister in the new cabinet, Zelenskiy said he would meet Fedorov and the army leadership later on Wednesday before a planned meeting with lawmakers from the ruling party.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk and Olena Harmash in Kyiv)