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Ukraine Appoints Acting SBU Chief as Interim Defense Minister and Andrii Sybiha to Foreign Affairs
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The Ukrainian government has appointed Yevhenii Khmara as the acting Minister of Defense and Andrii Sybiha as the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs as part of the structural reorganization of the Cabinet of Ministers , the new Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi reported on July 17.
Yevhenii Khmara was a Ukrainian security service officer and major general appointed acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
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Andrii Sybiha has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine since September 5, 2024, as well as Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (2021–2024).
The interim personnel changes, executed in close coordination with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are designed to safeguard institutional stability across Ukraine’s critical security and diplomatic sectors during a transition period, Koretskyi wrote.
He emphasized that maintaining strict operational continuity within the spheres of national defense and foreign policy remains a paramount priority for the administration.
Alongside the leadership updates, the Cabinet is restructuring several ministerial portfolios to align with recent parliamentary decisions, the Prime Minister stated. The overhaul includes the formal restoration of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the establishment of a dedicated Ministry for Communities, Territories, and Internally Displaced Persons to streamline regional recovery efforts and support displaced populations.
Furthermore, the government has separated the portfolios of economy and environment from long-term recovery strategies, while uncoupling infrastructure management from the transportation sector to optimize administrative efficiency.
The structural overhaul was initially triggered by the resignation of previous Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, followed closely by the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, an action that sparked nationwide protests. After that, Serhii Koretskyi became Ukraine’s new prime minister after the Verkhovna Rada approved his candidacy.
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