Zelensky Announces Plan for Major Government Shake-Up in Ukraine

New York Times

7 hours ago

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said Monday that he would seek to replace the country's prime minister, a major government shake-up that comes amid battlefield setbacks and a souring mood in the country.
Mr. Zelensky said in a post on Facebook that he would nominate Yulia Svyrydenko, who is now serving as a first deputy prime minister and had played a prominent role in negotiating a natural resources deal with the Trump administration. She would replace Denys Shmyhal, who was in office when Russia invaded.
The move, which would be the highest-level government shake-up since Russia's invasion more than three years ago, needs to be approved by a vote of Parliament, where Mr. Zelensky's party has a majority.
Mr. Zelensky said in the post that he wanted to 'renew' the country's government. The announcement followed months of escalating Russian drone and missile attacks on cities and setbacks on the battlefield, and as cease-fire talks pushed by the Trump administration have stalled.
Recent polls suggest growing pessimism in Ukraine about the war with Russia, a shift from earlier in the conflict, when most Ukrainians voiced optimism that their country would prevail.
Mr. Zelensky's political opponents questioned whether replacing the prime minister with a deputy actually constituted change, saying that the move was instead intended to install a loyalist and further consolidate the power of the president.
Accusations have been mounting in Ukraine that Mr. Zelensky is abusing the powers of the martial law imposed following the Russian invasion, and heightened after some elected mayors were replaced with military administrators.
Ms. Svyrydenko had overseen talks with the Trump administration on the contentious agreement to share profits with the United States from Ukrainian natural resources. President Trump had demanded the agreement as a condition of further military cooperation.
Mr. Zelensky said in announcing Ms. Svyrydenko's candidacy that he had discussed plans with her to expand domestic arms production — a priority for Ukraine's war effort — and efforts to strengthen the country's social safety net, which has become frayed during the war.
Ukraine's constitution hands the prime minister wide powers on domestic policy. Under previous presidents, prime ministers had wielded the power independently, often at odds with the presidents they served but protected from dismissal by backing in Parliament.
But Mr. Zelensky's political party, Servant of the People, holds a majority in Parliament and has twice elected prime ministers aligned with Mr. Zelensky. The Parliament is expected to go into session on Tuesday. It was not clear when a vote would be scheduled.
Oleksandr Chubko contributed reporting from Kyiv.