Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recommended Economy Minister and first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, to become Prime Minister in a political shakeup for the war-torn country.
In a post to X, Zelenskyy said he had a discussion with Svyrydenko about initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine.
“I have proposed that Yulia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” he said.
They discussed the ongoing war and the implementation of agreements with European and American partners reached during the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
“We must swiftly implement everything that can strengthen the resilience of our state and society,” he said.
“We also discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine’s economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production.”
If Svyrydenko became Prime Minister, she would take over from Denys Shmyhal, who has been prime minister since 2020, making him the longest-serving Ukrainian head of government since the country gained independence from Moscow in 1991.
Svyrydenko rose to prominence this year during negotiations around a rare minerals deal with the U.S. that nearly derailed the two countries’ alliance.
During his evening address on Monday, Zelenskyy said he would nominate Shmyhal to become defence minister due to his “vast experience”.
“This is precisely the area where the country’s maximum resources, maximum tasks and a great deal of responsibility are currently concentrated,” he said.
This would see Shmyhal take over from current defence minister Rustem Umerov, who is considered for the role of Ukrainian ambassador to Washington.
These changes would require the approval of parliament, which has been largely united around Zelesnkyy since the invasion and is unlikely to vote against the president.
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