Ukraine PM resigns in Zelensky-ordered government reshuffle

KYIV – Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned on July 14 as part of a government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader has yet to name a replacement and has said only that Kyiv is “changing its political strategy” amid “new challenges and new tasks”.

Ukraine’s parliament formally approved Svyrydenko’s resignation in a vote on July 14.

She was appointed only in July 2025 and was seen as having good relations with US officials, having negotiated a minerals investment deal with Washington in the aftermath of Zelensky’s Oval Office clash with President Donald Trump.

The reshuffle comes at a pivotal moment in the more than four-year war with Russia, with Moscow escalating its deadly ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, and Kyiv planning to domestically produce US Patriot air defence systems.

Announcing the reshuffle over the weekend, Zelensky said he planned to assign different people to manage different areas of foreign policy, and that he had offered Svyrydenko a new role leading “relations with a key partner”, without elaborating.

The role of prime minister does not typically include a say on military strategy or front-line operations, where Zelensky and his military chiefs call the shots.

Svyrydenko said she had delivered “concrete results” in office and posted a photo of herself making a heart symbol with her hands during an address to Parliament.

Ukrainian media has named Sergiy Koretsky, the chief executive officer of Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz, as the front runner to replace her.

Zelensky met Koretsky at the weekend – after he had announced plans to remove Svyrydenko – and hailed his “effective leadership” in an “extremely complex sector”.

Energy is a key priority in Ukraine, with the grid having been battered by Russian attacks and power outages widespread throughout winter. AFP