First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko believes that parliament will approve the appointment of Yevhen Khmara as defense minister during the next plenary session in mid-August.
He made this statement on television while answering a question about whether there would be enough votes in the Rada to appoint Yevhen Khmara as defense minister.
“We have some time for General Khmara to definitively demonstrate what he will do and how he will do it. I think support is much more likely in mid-August, when the Verkhovna Rada is scheduled to convene next, or perhaps even sooner. We are always ready to convene. We are operating on a one-time plenary session basis. I think General Khmara has certainly earned a lot of positive feedback for his work at the SSU’s Special Operations Center and within the SSU itself recently,” Kornienko said.
Commenting on the situation surrounding Ihor Klymenko, who was ultimately not nominated for the position of defense minister, he noted that the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would be able to significantly strengthen the work of the National Security and Defense Council. The First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada emphasized that Klymenko has significant experience in the security and defense sector, and the President’s decision to nominate him for the position of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council is a recognition of his merits.
