Latest news with #Denys Shmyhal
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Zelenskyy shakes up Ukrainian government, with US weapons on the way
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reshuffling the government as his country's war with Russia rages more than three years after it began. First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has been tapped to lead the next government as prime minister. Meanwhile, current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is set to serve as the country's next defense minister. Zelenskyy named Svyrydenko as his pick for prime minister in a post on X saying the two met to discuss goals for the country. "We also discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine's economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production. In pursuit of this goal, we are initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine. I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work. I look forward to the presentation of the new government's action plan in the near future," Zelenskyy wrote on Monday. Svyrydenko thanked Zelenskyy in her own post on X, and laid out the "priority tasks" defined by the president, including strengthening the economy, increasing domestic weapons production and expanding government support programs. "These tasks can be achieved through tangible deregulation, the elimination of bureaucratic obstacles, the reduction of non-critical state expenditures and duplication of functions within state institutions, the protection of entrepreneurship, and the full concentration of state resources for the defense of Ukraine and recovery after hostilities," Svyrydenko wrote. In Ukraine, the president nominates the country's prime minister, but the appointment must be approved by the Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, to become official. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with Svyrydenko and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technologies Mykhailo Fedorov to discuss "key priorities" for the next government. These include what he laid out for Svyrydenko as well as "fully contracting the required volumes of all types of drones" Ukranian forces need. Outgoing prime minister Shmyhal, who has served in the role since 2020, is set to replace current Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, whom Zelenskyy reportedly suggested would become the country's next ambassador to the U.S., according to Reuters. Zelenskyy praised Shmyhal — the country's longest-serving head of government since it gained independence in 1991— for his "vast experience," according to reports.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Zelensky names new prime minister, taps official who spearheaded US minerals deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as Ukraine's war with Russia raged on. Zelensky also proposed that Ukraine's current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, take over as defence minister, describing him as holding the right qualifications for a very important job. The nominations, which require parliamentary approval, came as diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have stalled and as Ukraine seeks to revive its cash-strapped economy and build up a domestic arms industry. 'We … discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine's economic potential, expand support programmes for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production,' Zelensky wrote on social media. 'In pursuit of this goal, we are initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine ,' he said, adding that he had proposed that Svyrydenko lead the government and 'significantly renew its work'. Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist and has served as first deputy prime minister since 2021. She played a key role in recent negotiations for a minerals deal with the United States In his nightly video address, Zelensky praised Shmyhal's 'vast experience' as very 'valuable in the position of minister of defence of Ukraine'.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Zelensky Announces Plan for Major Government Shake-Up in Ukraine
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.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Zelenskiy Swaps Prime Minister Role in Government Overhaul
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he'll replace his prime minister as part of a cabinet overhaul as his government seeks to boost weapons production and maintain US support in its war against Russia. Yulia Svyrydenko, a deputy premier who took the lead in coordinating a landmark minerals deal with President Donald Trump's administration, was nominated to replace Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Ukraine's longest-serving head of government, Shmyhal took office in 2020 and has led the government for the duration of Russia's war.
