Zelensky reshuffles cabinet amid corruption scandal and peace talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky has moved to fill several senior government posts in Kyiv, appointing Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff and proposing Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister while suggesting Denys Shmyhal become energy minister. The changes follow weeks in which Ukraine lacked an energy minister amid rolling blackouts, had no justice minister after a corruption scandal and was without a presidential chief of staff.

The reshuffle included a plan to replace the defence minister and to shift that post to the energy ministry, and Mr. Budanov and Mr. Fedorov were described in reporting as trusted or popular figures with strong U.S. ties. The vacancies stem from a November anti-corruption probe that found officials siphoned around $100 million through the state-owned nuclear power company, prompting resignations of the presidential chief of staff and the energy and justice ministers, though none have been charged.

Lawmakers have been reluctant to take some ministries amid fears of responsibility under Russian attacks, reputational risk and talk of imminent postwar elections; as one party faction head, David Arakhamia, joked at a Kyiv conference, “We are looking for an energy minister… Raise your hands.

Who wants to try?” What happens next remains uncertain. Parliament must approve the appointments when it meets in mid-January, and analysts say approvals may be harder than in past years after the scandal eroded trust in Mr. Zelensky’s party.

Key Topics

Politics, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, Mykhailo Fedorov, Denys Shmyhal