Zelenskyy backs state energy company chief Koretskyi for new Ukraine PM

Ukraine’s parliament is expected to vote for the next prime minister on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Sergii Koretskyi, the head of Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz, is the best candidate to serve as the next prime minister as the country undergoes its second cabinet reshuffle in a year.“The priorities are clear – preparing for winter,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday as Kyiv braces for another season of expected Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid. “Therefore, following ⁠all the consultations, Sergii Koretskyi is surely the ⁠most prepared candidate for the post of prime minister of Ukraine.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Nine dead as Russia and Ukraine trade drone and missile salvoslist 2 of 3EU sanctions nine people over alleged Russian cyber-spying campaignlist 3 of 3Kyiv attacked after Ukraine launches coalition to tackle Russia missilesend of listIf selected by parliament, which is responsible for naming the prime minister, Koretskyi would succeed Yulia Svyrydenko, whom Zelenskyy pushed out after just a year on the job.Parliament accepted Svyrydenko’s resignation as prime minister ⁠on Tuesday and is expected to vote on her replacement on Thursday. The chamber is likely to go with Zelenskyy’s preferred candidate because his party controls a majority of the seats in parliament.New ‘political strategy’A prime minister’s resignation automatically triggers the resignation of the entire cabinet, meaning a wider shake-up is expected.Particular attention has ⁠turned to the fate of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov at a time when the tide on ⁠the battlefield has been shifting in Ukraine’s ⁠favour as it presses a campaign of long-range drone attacks on Russia.Fedorov, 35, is a promoter of technological innovations who comes from outside the Ministry of Defence establishment and took charge ‌there six months ago.