On Wednesday, 19 August, the Verkhovna Rada approved the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine reported this.

The decision was backed by 312 members of parliament. It concerns Resolution No. 15523 on the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as Minister of Defence of Ukraine. His candidacy had been submitted to parliament the previous day by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Addressing parliament, Yevhenii Khmara said he had left military service, since under the law only a civilian may serve as Minister of Defence.

“I stand before you as a civilian, discharged in accordance with Article 26 of Ukraine’s Law on Military Duty and Military Service,” he said.

In his speech to the Verkhovna Rada, Yevhenii Khmara set out three key priorities of equal importance: the front and the strengthening of the armed forces; people; and the development of the defence industry.

The front. This means seizing the strategic initiative in every domain of the war. The needs of the front must reach the Ministry quickly, and the Ministry’s decisions must reach the front. The armed forces need weapons — in large quantities, on time, and precisely those that deliver results. Under transparent procedures and without unnecessary bureaucracy, procurement will work solely for the front and the defence of Ukraine.

Particular focus falls on Deep Strike and Middle Strike. The operation against Novorossiysk and a series of successful strikes before it demonstrated the strength of cooperation between the defence forces, manufacturers and state institutions.

Human capital. The lives and health of soldiers are an absolute value. Technology is needed so that Ukrainian defenders have the advantage and the risk to the individual is reduced to a minimum. My task is to communicate with defenders directly: to hear commanders, to hear soldiers, to hear the wounded. From my own experience, I also know that a soldier is motivated when he feels respected, receives quality training and serves under fair rules.

Development of the defence industry. The defence industrial complex is the foundation of our strength today and of our security for years to come. Our task is therefore to develop it and scale up production.

Yevhenii Khmara was appointed acting head of the Ministry of Defence on 17 July. Before that, from 5 January 2026, he had served as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked members of parliament for supporting the personnel decisions concerning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence — specifically, the appointment of Andrii Sybiha as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Yevhenii Khmara as Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

“The tasks for both ministers are set out absolutely clearly: Ukraine needs more strength. And that is what there will be. Glory to Ukraine!” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote.