Parliament Appoints Koretsky as Prime Minister: How MPs Voted (video)
16 July 12:13
The Verkhovna Rada has appointed Serhiy Koretsky, who previously served as chairman of NAK “Naftogaz,” as Prime Minister of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a live broadcast of the Verkhovna Rada session.
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially submitted a nomination to appoint Serhiy Koretskyi as head of government.
A total of 289 members of parliament voted in favor of his nomination.
Koretsky’s candidacy was presented by Galina Mykhailiuk, a representative of the President of Ukraine.
Speaking before the vote on his appointment as prime minister, Serhiy Koretskyi stated that he is fully aware of the scale of the challenges facing the country. According to him, the coming winter may prove even more difficult than the previous one, so the government must act as effectively as possible right now.
Koretsky emphasized that he considers responsibility, efficiency, professionalism, and fair rules to be the guiding principles of his work, and he plans to make them the foundation of the new Cabinet of Ministers’ activities.
“We are facing challenges of national scale. Right now is the time and place for me to devote all my energy, experience, and knowledge to the good of the state. I will do everything in my power to be as helpful as possible to Ukraine right now,” the candidate stated.
What Priorities Did Koretsky Outline?
During his speech, Serhiy Koretsky outlined the key areas of focus for the future government:
- fully meeting the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
- developing and supporting the defense-industrial complex;
- providing social support to the population, especially residents of frontline communities;
- preparing the country for the upcoming heating season;
- support for Ukrainian businesses;
- deepening cooperation with international partners;
- attracting and making the most effective use of international financial assistance;
- continuing negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
The candidate also emphasized that the government will pay special attention to war veterans and internally displaced persons. He also promised to be open to cooperation with all parliamentary factions and deputy groups.
The government’s full program will be presented later
Koretsky explained that he is not yet presenting a detailed program of the Cabinet of Ministers’ activities, as he received the offer to lead the government only a few days ago.
According to him, once the Cabinet is formed, the government will present a comprehensive work plan.
On Klymenko and the Ministry of Defense
During a question-and-answer session with members of parliament, Serhiy Koretskyi was asked to comment on the possible appointment of Ihor Klymenko as Minister of Defense.
The prime ministerial candidate stated that he highly values Klymenko’s performance as Minister of Internal Affairs, particularly during the heating season and in ensuring the functioning of the security system.
“I consider Igor Klymenko to be a strong, professional, and effective leader. As for the nomination of the Minister of Defense, that is the exclusive authority of the President of Ukraine,” Koretsky emphasized.
At the same time, he stressed that his Cabinet of Ministers must become a “defense government” that will work first and foremost to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities.
Will Fedorov Remain in the Government?
Serhiy Koretskyi responded cautiously to lawmakers’ questions about Mykhailo Fedorov’s possible role in the new Cabinet of Ministers.
According to him, it is too early to discuss personnel decisions, as the Verkhovna Rada must first approve his nomination as prime minister. Only then will it be possible to discuss the specific composition of the new government.
What is known about Serhiy Koretskyi
Serhiy Koretskyi was born on March 14, 1978, in Lutsk.
He received his higher education at Lutsk State Technical University: in 2001, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, and in 2005, a degree in business administration. In 2019, he completed the Executive MBA program at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.
For over 20 years, Koretsky was associated with the “Continuum” Group of Companies. Starting in 1997, he rose through the ranks from an employee in the analytics department to CEO. In 2002, he became head of the “Western Oil Group” joint venture, and in 2007, he took over as head of the group’s management company.
From 2002 to 2006, he served as a volunteer assistant to Igor Yeremeyev, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 4th convocation elected from the “For a United Ukraine” electoral bloc.
In 2006, he unsuccessfully ran for the Verkhovna Rada of the 5th convocation on the non-electable portion of the list of the Lytvyn People’s Bloc (No. 214).
That same year, he unsuccessfully ran for the Volyn Regional Council of the 5th convocation as a candidate for the Lytvyn People’s Bloc.
From 2007 to 2012, he served as a volunteer assistant to Kateryna Vashchuk, a People’s Deputy of the 6th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, who was elected from the Lytvyn People’s Bloc.
From 2012 to 2014, he served as a volunteer assistant to Igor Yeremeyev, an independent member of the 7th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada.
Starting in 2013, he managed the WOG gas station chain, introducing new business models, including the launch of coffee shops outside the gas stations.
In 2018, he left “Continuum” to focus on his own projects. In 2019, he founded Idealist Coffee Co.—a coffee brand with a full production cycle that also operates a chain of coffee shops. As of 2024, there were 10 such locations operating in Kyiv, and since 2022, Idealist products have been supplied to Ukrzaliznytsia trains. He stepped down as a beneficiary of the coffee business at the end of 2021.
From 2019 to 2022, he was also a co-founder and chairman of the board of the energy trading company Centurion Group SA in Switzerland.
On November 9, 2022, Serhiy Koretskyi was appointed director of Ukrnafta and UkrTatNafta after the companies were transferred to the management of the Ministry of Defense.
On April 28, 2025, the supervisory board of NAK Naftogaz of Ukraine approved the appointment of Serhiy Koretsky as chairman of the board.
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After the prime minister is elected, lawmakers will vote on the new Cabinet
Immediately after the election of the prime minister, a meeting of the “Servant of the People” faction is to take place, during which the new head of government will formally receive the nominations for future ministers.
After that, the Verkhovna Rada will proceed to form the new Cabinet of Ministers.
According to the preliminary schedule:
- 1:30 p.m. — vote on the new Cabinet;
- 2:20 p.m. — separate vote on the nominees for Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As is known, on Thursday, July 16, parliament is set to consider and vote on the new Cabinet of Ministers. According to several media outlets, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not submit the candidacy of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov for this position in the new government.
Instead, he will propose that Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko head the Ministry of Defense.
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