Zelenskyy outlines new cabinet changes, names defence minister for energy post

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday proposed moving his current defence minister into the role of energy minister, the latest top job to switch hands in a widening wartime reshuffle.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he had proposed "Denys Shmygal's appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy", a day after announcing he wanted to replace Shmygal with his current minister of digital transformation.

“I met with Denys Shmyhal. I am grateful for his systematic work in the Ministry of Defense and for the processes stepped up to ensure the protection of our state,” Zelenskyy noted in his message.

"This kind of systematic approach is exactly what Ukraine’s energy sector needs right now. It is crucial that, after each Russian strike, we can quickly restore what has been destroyed, and that the growth of Ukraine’s energy sector remains stable and sufficient to meet the country’s needs,” Zelenskyy said in the post.

He concluded with, “We held consultations with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, and I am counting on parliamentary support for this approach, as well as for Denys Shmyhal’s appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy.”

Shmygal had only started working in the defence role last July.

Zelensky hopes to replace him with 34-year-old digital transformation minister Mikhailo Fedorov -- a relative political novice who is little-known to the Ukrainian public.

The appointments require approval from parliament, though it has largely coalesced around Zelensky since Russia's invasion and is unlikely to torpedo his decisions.

Zelensky separately on Friday announced a new chief of staff, after his previous top aide resigned in November over a corruption scandal.

(with inputs from AFP)