There are 'questions' about some ministers, government changes not ruled out, MP says
"There are questions" regarding the work of some ministers, and the question of their dismissal may arise in the near future, Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the parliament's national security committee, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on July 5.
This concerns those who have performed poorly in the areas in which the parliament takes interest, the senior lawmaker of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party said, refusing to say which specific ministers are being discussed within the party.
Ukraine's military and political leadership saw several major reshuffles in recent months. May saw the dismissal of Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi, with the latter being suspected of corruption.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this year that more government reshuffles can be expected in the near future.
Venislavskyi said that a replacement for Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is not being discussed at the national security committee. Umerov was appointed in September 2023 after a series of procurement scandals led to the dismissal of his predecessor, Oleksii Reznikov.
Zelensky is allegedly considering the dismissal of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukrainska Pravda reported on July 3, citing sources in the presidential team. The claims could not be independently verified.
According to Venislavskyi, Shmyhal's resignation would automatically mean the resignation of the entire ministerial cabinet, which is impossible during martial law.
Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak disputed this statement, saying that the prime minister's resignation does not automatically mean the government's resignation. He also pointed out that other key senior posts were changed during the full-scale war.
"Pay no attention to the claim that it is impossible to change the government. It has nothing to do with reality," Zhelezniak wrote on his Telegram channel.
Nate Ostiller
