On 16 July 2026, the Verkhovna Rada completed the parliamentary stage of Ukraine’s government reshuffle. MPs appointed a new Prime Minister, approved the composition of the Cabinet, adopted an international appeal concerning the continued exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes, and terminated the parliamentary mandates of two MPs joining the executive.
According to the parliamentary voting record published for 16 July, no draft laws were adopted during the sitting. Bills Nos. 15416–15421 were registered but have not yet been debated or approved. Parliament did, however, adopt several resolutions.
Serhii Koretskyi appointed Prime Minister
The Verkhovna Rada adopted Draft Resolution No. 15414, appointing Serhii Koretskyi as Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The decision was formally enacted as Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada No. 4941-IX of 16 July 2026.
The result demonstrates substantial parliamentary support for the new Prime Minister. However, support for Koretskyi personally was broader than the backing subsequently secured by the proposed Cabinet.
Parliament approves the new Cabinet
Parliament adopted Draft Resolution No. 15415 on the formation of the Cabinet of Ministers and the dismissal of members of the outgoing government.
264 MPs voted in favour
15 MPs voted against
19 MPs abstained
20 MPs did not vote
Cabinet appointments announced by Parliament
The Cabinet received 25 fewer votes than the Prime Minister. This suggests that while Koretskyi secured broad personal support, some parliamentary groups and individual MPs were more cautious about specific appointments and the overall configuration of the government.
Two MPs relinquish their parliamentary mandates
Following the formation of the Cabinet, Parliament terminated the mandates of Denys Maslov and Vitalii Bezghin, who moved from the legislature to executive office.
Appeal on Russian and Belarusian athletes
The Verkhovna Rada adopted Draft Resolution No. 15391, an appeal to the International Olympic Committee and international sports federations calling for the continued exclusion of athletes representing the Russian Federation and Belarus from international competitions.
245 MPs voted in favour.
There were no votes against and no abstentions.
The appeal calls for the restrictions to remain in place until Russia fully ends its armed aggression against Ukraine. The initiative is intended to prevent a premature return of Russia and Belarus to international sport and to preserve international pressure beyond conventional economic sanctions.
New bills registered but not yet adopted
Several legislative initiatives were registered on 16 July. Registration marks the beginning of the parliamentary process and should not be interpreted as the adoption of legislation.
Regional perspective
“Parliamentary performance should be measured not only by the number of bills adopted, but also by whether communities, businesses and residents experience the practical impact of those decisions. Long-term financing, transparent rules and the modernisation of strategic infrastructure must work not only in theory, but in the real economies of Ukraine’s regions.”
Ruslan Shamrin is a member of Kryvyi Rih City Council and of its Standing Commission on the Implementation of the City Development Strategy and Investment.
Why these decisions matter
The principal outcome of the sitting was the completion of the parliamentary stage of Ukraine’s government transition. The new Cabinet has received the required mandate, but its performance will ultimately be assessed through policy delivery rather than personnel changes alone.
Key priorities will include fiscal stability, energy resilience, support for local communities, reconstruction of war-damaged infrastructure, veterans’ policy, social protection and the continued implementation of reforms linked to Ukraine’s European integration.
For Ukraine’s European partners, the distribution of Cabinet portfolios also signals the areas in which Kyiv expects closer cooperation: energy security, reconstruction, regional development, institutional reform and alignment with European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
