The Verkhovna Rada has suspended its plenary sessions until 18 August
This was announced by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. The information is also confirmed by the calendar of plenary sessions on the Verkhovna Rada’s official website.
According to Zheleznyak, there will be no plenary session on 17 July. The next session is currently scheduled for 18 August.
This break in plenary work means that, until mid-August, parliament will not consider new draft laws or personnel matters requiring a vote in the chamber. In particular, the appointments of the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs – whose nominations the President is required to submit to the Verkhovna Rada – will have to be postponed.
At the same time, this does not mean that parliament is ceasing its work entirely. MPs will continue to work in their respective committees, temporary special and investigative commissions, and will also prepare draft legislation for future plenary sessions.
On 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada held one of the most important personnel meetings of the year. Parliament appointed Serhiy Koretskyi as Prime Minister of Ukraine, formed a new Cabinet of Ministers, and prematurely terminated the parliamentary mandates of Denys Maslov and Vitalii Bezgin.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, emphasised that whilst martial law is in force, parliament does not take its traditional summer recess. According to him, MPs are not going on holiday but are continuing to carry out their duties outside the plenary chamber — working in committees, exercising parliamentary oversight and engaging in inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Meanwhile, the posts of Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs remain vacant for the time being.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Mykhailo Fedorov’s new role within his team would be announced at a later date. The President must submit the nomination of the next head of the Ministry of Defence separately to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.
As the next plenary session is scheduled for 18 August, Ukraine may remain without an appointed Minister of Defence until at least that date.
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