From Prime Minister to Chief Energy Officer: Zelenskyy offers Shmyhal post of head of Ministry of Energy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects the parliament to approve the candidacy of Denys Shmyhal for the post of a Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy.

Zelenskyy said this in a statement on social media.

"Met with Denys Shmyhal. Thank you for the systematic work in the Ministry of Defense and the processes that have been intensified to ensure the protection of our state. This is exactly the kind of systematic approach that is needed now for the Ukrainian energy sector.

It is important that after each Russian strike we can quickly restore the destroyed and that the development of the Ukrainian energy sector is stable and sufficient for Ukrainian needs. We have held consultations with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, and I count on the support of parliamentarians for this approach and the position of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy for Denys Shmyhal," the Head of State noted.

According to the Constitution, the President has to propose to the Parliament candidates only for the positions of heads of the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, it was only in July 2025 that the Verkhovna Rada appointed former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as the Minister of Defense.