Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has recommended Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to become prime minister in a significant political shake-up for the war-scarred country.
The announcement on Monday could herald a wider reshuffle in the government, three and a half years into the Russian invasion.
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“I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “I look forward to the presentation of the new government’s action plan in the near future.”
The recommendation is part of what he called “a transformation of the executive branch” of government in Ukraine.
The two discussed “concrete measures to boost Ukraine’s economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians and scale up our domestic weapons production”, Zelenskyy said.
Svyrydenko, 39, gained prominence this year during fraught negotiations around a rare minerals deal with the United States that nearly derailed ties between Kyiv and its most important military ally.
If the change is approved, she would replace Denys Shmyhal, who has been prime minister since 2020, the longest any Ukrainian head of government has served since the country gained independence from Moscow in 1991.
“The government needs a change because people are exhausted,” said Tymofiy Mylovanov, a former economy minister who worked with Svyrydenko.
Mylovanov, who now heads the Kyiv School of Economics, said the changes would likely bring “a sort of freshness” after more than three years of war.
In his evening address on Monday, Zelenskyy announced that he would nominate Shmyal to become defence minister, saying his “vast experience” would be very “valuable” in the position.
“This is precisely the area where the country’s maximum resources, maximum tasks and a great deal of responsibility are currently concentrated,” he explained.
Zelenskyy met Umerov over the weekend, after which he said, “Ukraine needs more positive dynamics in relations with the United States and at the same time new steps in managing the defence sector of our state.”
Svyrydenko, who is also a deputy prime minister, was appointed to manage Ukraine’s struggling economy months before the Kremlin launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.
Her appointment will require approval by parliament, which has largely united around Zelenskyy since the invasion and is unlikely to vote against the president.