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Zelenskyy meets with Defense Minister Shmyhal, sets urgent tasks for armed forces

Zelenskyy meets with Defense Minister Shmyhal, sets urgent tasks for armed forces Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Denys Shmyhal (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and assigned him tasks related to the armed forces, according to the head of state on Telegram.

According to Zelenskyy, an effective audit is currently underway regarding agreements that require accelerated contracting, in particular, those related to drones, especially interceptor drones.

"I instructed that all necessary contracts for drones needed by our Defense Forces of Ukraine be urgently signed. We also discussed the provision of deep strikes — the frequency of our strikes and priority targets. I’m grateful to all the involved units for their precision," Zelenskyy wrote.

Additionally, Shmyhal is preparing to present a specific work program for the Ministry on Monday, along with key priorities to be implemented in the short term — over the coming weeks — and in the medium term, over the next six months.

Appointment of Shmyhal

On July 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed former Prime Minister Shmyhal as Defense Minister following a nomination by President Zelenskyy. The candidate received 267 votes from deputies.

During his address to parliament, Shmyhal also acknowledged the existence of forceful mobilization in Ukraine. However, he referred to these as "certain cases," stating that, according to the new defense minister, the mobilization is proceeding as planned.