Ukrainian President Zelensky proposed on Monday (July 14th) that First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko “lead” the Ukrainian government.
Following a meeting with Svyrydenko, Zelensky took to the social media platform X to announce that he and the female Deputy Prime Minister had discussed specific measures such as developing the country’s economy and expanding domestic arms production.
“In order to achieve these goals, we are initiating reforms in the Ukrainian executive branch. I have proposed Svyrydenko to lead the Ukrainian government and strongly reform the government’s work,” Zelensky added.
The President expressed his anticipation of presenting the new government’s action plan in the near future.
Svyrydenko was appointed as the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy in November 2021.
On Sunday (13th), Zelensky met with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and then announced preparations for “significant governance reforms.”
In another post on X, he stated: “This will allow us to reduce the cost of maintaining government bureaucracies, ensure significant regulatory easing, and maximize available resources for defending Ukraine and its people.”
Shmyhal has served as Prime Minister since March 2020 and is one of Ukraine’s longest-serving prime ministers, though he recently stepped down. As of now, Ukrainian officials have not issued a formal statement or comment on his resignation.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Zelensky and former US President Trump discussed the replacement of Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova during their latest phone call earlier this month.
The report cited an insider who mentioned Shmyhal as a potential candidate for the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US.
The war between Ukraine and Russia has been ongoing for over three years, with both sides currently deadlocked. Ukraine relies on weapons from Western countries like the US, while Russia increasingly leans on support from Beijing.