President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will submit Rustem Umerov's candidacy to the parliament for the post of defense minister.

"I decided to replace the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksiy Reznikov went through these more than 550 days of the full-scale war. I believe that the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction both with the military and with society as a whole," he said in a video address on Sunday.

"Now Rustem Umerov should head the ministry, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine knows this person well and Mr. Umerov does not need additional introductions. I expect the Parliament to support this candidacy. Autumn is a time for strengthening," he also said.