Zelensky announces next prime minister, launches government reshuffle

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has named First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as the next prime minister of Ukraine, he said on July 14, launching a government reshuffle.

"I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work," Zelensky said in a post on X. "I look forward to the presentation of the new government's action plan in the near future."

Zelensky said he had met with Svyrydenko earlier in the day to discuss cooperation with the U.S. and Europe, strengthening the economy, boosting arms production, and reforming the executive branch.

According to Ukraine's constitution, the parliament appoints the government.

For Svyrydenko to become the next head of government, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal must formally submit his resignation to parliament, which is then obligated to vote on the issue.

If the parliament supports Shmyhal's resignation, the government resigns, and lawmakers have 30 days to vote on the next prime minister.

Svyrydenko said she would soon present the list of proposed ministers.

The parliament's next session is to begin this week. Zelensky's Servant of the People party controls the majority of seats, at least 231 out of 450, and is expected to support the president's decision swiftly.

Rumors about replacing Shmyhal — the country's longest serving prime minister — have circulated since last summer. Although Zelensky replaced several officials in September 2024, Shmyhal remained in office.

‘Neither side wasted time’ — Ukraine’s economy minister on minerals deal negotiations with Trump’s ‘business-oriented’ administration

Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko says her task is simple — to get the investment fund behind the closely watched minerals deal with the U.S. off the ground, and prove its detractors wrong. “There are so many criticisms from different parties that this fund is just a piece of paper we can put on the shelves — that it won’t be operational,” Svyrydenko, who is also Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, tells the Kyiv Independent at Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers on July 4, the morning

The Kyiv IndependentLiliane Bivings

Thanks for reading this article and staying informed. The Kyiv Independent operates without a wealthy owner or a paywall, relying solely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Consider joining our community today.