Ukraine's prime minister submits resignation, parliament set to dismiss government on July 16
Editor's note: The story was updated with Denys Shmyhal announcing his resignation.
The Ukrainian parliament is scheduled to vote on the dismissal of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's government on July 16, a lawmaker and a source in the parliament told the Kyiv Independent.
A vote on the new cabinet is expected the following day, according to a schedule presented by President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, said Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a lawmaker for the opposition Holos party and head of the committee on freedom of speech.
The news comes as Shmyhal announced his resignation amid a reshuffle launched by Zelensky earlier this week.
"Thank you to our defenders who are holding the front and protecting Ukraine! Thank you to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for the trust!" Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel when announcing the news.
The voting this week will follow Zelensky's appointment of Yuliia Svyrydenko, the first deputy prime minister and economy minister, to lead the government.
"I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work," Zelensky said at the time, without providing further reasoning behind the decision.
Zelensky has signaled that Shmyhal, who has served as prime minister since 2020, might be appointed the new defense minister, while the current defense chief, Rustem Umerov, is being floated as a possible ambassador to the U.S.
The president met with Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on July 15 and outlined the "renewed" government's tasks for the next six months.
"The key priorities are: increasing domestic weapons production in Ukraine, fully contracting the required volumes of all types of drones for Ukraine’s Defense Forces, carrying out substantial deregulation and unlocking our country’s internal economic potential, and ensuring full implementation of social support programs for our people," he said on X.
The composition of the new government has not been disclosed.
If the parliament supports Shmyhal's resignation, the government resigns, and lawmakers have up to 30 days to vote on the next prime minister.
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.
Note from the author:
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