Expectations from the new Ukrainian government, which may be headed by Serhiy Koretsky, head of the National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz Ukrainy, are primarily to intensify preparations for the heating season, notes political expert and head of the Center for Analysis and Strategies Ihor Chalenko.
"Objectively, there are currently huge gaps in this: existing agreements are not being implemented, and new agreements are needed. The issue is implementing sustainability plans, which were adopted at the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council," Chalenko said in an exclusive comment to Interfax-Ukraine.
Moreover, he said, Koretsky's appointment as head of government completely removes the issue of elections, which had previously been discussed in November, from the agenda. "Because now we're talking about mobilizing resources to survive the winter, and, of course, helping to accumulate resources," Chalenko explained.
Political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko is also convinced that the new government and Koretsky should be expected to pass through a heating season in a normal mode, above all else.
"But, of course, I hope that appropriate measures will be taken to curb inflation. This, of course, is the job of the government and the National Bank. But we remember that the National Bank's leadership is not fully in place: where is the National Bank Council, where is the National Bank Board? Therefore, curbing inflation is essential," he emphasized.
Volodymyr Fesenko, Chairman of the Penta Center for Applied Political Research, notes Koretsky's strong reputation as an excellent manager both in the West and domestically, which is why his candidacy for the post of head of government is considered the most likely.
"He demonstrated exceptional performance when, starting in 2022, he oversaw the rehabilitation and recovery of Ukrnafta after Kolomoisky. Secondly, he also demonstrated exceptional performance as the head of Naftogaz Ukrainy. This company suffered greatly from Russian shelling, but both this winter and earlier, everything possible was done to maintain the normal operation of this component of our energy system. And it seems the president is very pleased with Koretsky's work," he said.
Regarding the performance of the current government of Yulia Svyrydenko, who announced her resignation as prime minister, the expert believes that it has generally fulfilled "the main task of maintaining socioeconomic stability and adequate defense capability of the country." "There are no particular complaints about the government here – we had to endure and ensure the functioning of the economy and the social sphere during the war, as well as proper cooperation with partners. The government has fulfilled these objectives," Fesenko emphasized.
However, according to him, serious problems have emerged, primarily tensions in Svyrydenko's relationship with parliament in recent months. "She's not being received for various reasons; she's having difficulty working even with members of the Servant of the People faction, not to mention other factions," the expert said, suggesting that this also influenced the president's decision to replace the prime minister.
"There's been criticism of some of the government's populist decisions, but I don't think the problem lies with Svyrydenko. Rather, she carried out the president's orders, but in a way that created a certain amount of tension in the financial sector. Specifically, the reserve fund was depleted, and this also became a source of criticism for the government," Fesenko added.
Matviyenko assesses the work of Svyrydenko and her government "mostly negatively." "I would particularly note that she has effectively failed to cooperate with the opposition, even on completely logical, non-political issues, such as, for example, when Tymoshenko proposes including the restructuring of the government's debt to the National Bank in the state budget—the government ignores it. And many other social proposals are ignored. Consequently, this simply has a negative impact on the quality of life for Ukrainians," he explained.
Chalenko, criticizing the work of the Svyrydenko government, noted "the development of numerous strategies that are put away in a closet as soon as they are made public," as well as a lack of communication with parliament.
"As for successes, I think there has been some progress towards European integration, as well as communication with the United States and Europe, the signing of an agreement on assistance in the amount of EUR 90 billion for two years, and the adoption of this decision within the framework of the Cypriot presidency of the European Union," he said.
At the same time, the expert doesn't expect any fundamental changes in government policy after the change, "because, as with all previous Zelenskyy governments, so with the current Zelenskyy government, issues will be resolved in exactly the same way as under Koretsky." "The issue isn't about specific names; the issue is that de facto we live in a presidential republic," Chalenko concluded.
