The Ukrainian Parliament has given the green light this Tuesday to the appointment of Yevheni Jmara as the new Minister of Defense, replacing Mijailo Fedorov, who left the position in July after just six months in office and amid strong controversy with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the military leadership.
With a total of 312 favorable votes, the Supreme Rada has backed Jmara for the position for which he was proposed by Zelensky, who has applauded the broad parliamentary support obtained by the new Defense head, who until now served as the head of the Security Service (SBU).
Together with Jmara, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andri Sibiga, has also been ratified in his position as part of the package of changes in the Executive following the latest government crisis, marked by the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko and the appointment of Serhi Koretski as her replacement.
"I am grateful to the deputies for supporting Andri Sibiga for the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Yevheni Jmara for the position of Minister of Defense of Ukraine. The tasks for both ministers are absolutely clear: Ukraine needs more strength. And it will have it," Zelensky assessed in a message on social media.
The departure of Fedorov has been surrounded by controversy, after his dismissal was linked to the known disagreements with the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Sirski, who was also replaced after that confrontation.
In any case, the former minister, highly regarded by public opinion, has been gaining support in recent weeks to return to the position and is seen as a potential political contender for Zelensky in the future, after he has called for a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism" for Ukraine to hold elections amid the Russian invasion.