Zelenskyy Replaces PM Svyrydenko, Plans Law Enforcement Shake-Up as Kyiv Eyes New US Ambassador
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
Zelenskyy Replaces PM Svyrydenko, Plans Law Enforcement Shake-Up as Kyiv Eyes New US Ambassador
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
Summary
Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down Sunday as Ukraine’s prime minister after Zelenskyy said he was changing the country’s political strategy and moving her to a new role tied to a key international partner.
US ties appear central to the reshuffle: opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said Svyrydenko was likely to become ambassador to Washington after a NATO summit thaw with Donald Trump’s administration.
Serhiy Koretskyi, head of Naftogaz, is seen as the leading candidate to replace her, though lawmakers also floated Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The overhaul also reaches law enforcement leadership and follows a year of corruption fallout that forced the resignation of a powerful presidential aide and sparked protests when Zelenskyy tried to curb anti-corruption bodies’ independence.
The political reset comes as Ukraine presses both military and diplomatic fronts, with drone strikes disrupting Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov and Kyiv’s backers meeting in Paris on Monday to discuss new pressure on Moscow.