Rada Appoints Khmara as Permanent Defense Minister Despite Protests (Updated)
The Verkhovna Rada on August 19 appointed Yevheniy Khmara as Minister of Defense of Ukraine. 312 People's Deputies voted for his candidacy. Before this, Khmara had temporarily led the defense ministry for about a month after the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov. The vote took place against the background of protests under the parliament walls demanding the return of Fedorov to office.
It should be noted that in the morning protestors gathered under the Rada walls. The participants of the action chanted: "Fedorov to the MoD, Khmara to the SBU." Yevhen Khmara is currently a candidate for the position of Minister of Defense.
At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada reported that in the morning deputies from parliamentary factions and groups continued meetings with candidates for the positions of Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs - Yevhen Khmara and Andriy Sybiha.
The day before, consultations lasted more than five hours. According to the parliament, deputies discussed with the candidates the main challenges for the state, their vision of work priorities of the agencies, as well as interaction between the government and the Verkhovna Rada.
During the meeting, Khmara named among his priorities preserving the strategic initiative, moving the war to Russia’s territory, preserving human capital, developing defense technologies and the defense-industrial complex.
The candidate for minister also spoke in favor of preserving the achievements of the previous leadership of the Ministry of Defense and specialists who proved themselves well in the agency.
312 Deputies Voted for Khmara
People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on the voting results. The appointment of Yevhen Khmara as Minister of Defense was supported by 312 parliamentarians.
Before the vote, Khmara's candidacy was unanimously supported by the parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence - all 15 committee members voted "for".
The same day, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Khmara from the post of Deputy Minister of Defense at his own request. This personnel step preceded the vote of the Verkhovna Rada on his appointment as the full-fledged head of the Ministry of Defense.
Before this, Khmara headed the ministry in the status of acting minister. In July, he was initially appointed deputy minister, after which the duties of the head of the agency were assigned to him.
Zelensky Reacted to the Appointments of Khmara and Sybiha
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Verkhovna Rada for supporting Yevhen Khmara as Minister of Defense and Andriy Sybiha as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to the president, both ministers have been set clear tasks aimed at strengthening Ukraine's positions.
"The tasks for both ministers are defined absolutely clearly: more strength is needed for Ukraine. And this will be so," declared Zelensky.
Earlier the same day, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Khmara as Minister of Defense with 312 votes, and Sybiha's candidacy for the post of Foreign Minister was supported by 266 People's Deputies.
Recall, on August 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada the candidacy of Khmara for the post of Minister of Defense. Earlier, the parliament expected that the personnel vote would take place on August 19.
The current action became a continuation of protests that began after Fedorov's resignation from the post of Minister of Defense. One of the main demands of the participants remains his return to the leadership of the defense ministry and the continuation of reforms started during his tenure.
The day before, Fedorov himself addressed the protest participants. Besides the topic of defense policy, he raised the issue of restoring a full-fledged democratic process in Ukraine even under conditions of prolonged war.
"We must not allow Putin to decide when Ukrainians can elect their own authorities. Ukrainian democracy should not depend on the goodwill of the Kremlin", - stated Fedorov.
He also emphasized that a possible mechanism for holding elections must be legal and safe and ensure the right to vote for military personnel, Ukrainians abroad, and residents of frontline regions.
Based on materials from: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, David Arakhamia
