On 17 July, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) appointed Yulia Svyrydenko as the new prime minister, with 262 MPs voting in favour, 22 opposing and 26 abstaining, according to Ukrainian media.
Svyrydenko became the second woman in Ukraine’s history to head the government and the first in 15 years. Her appointment ended the five-year premiership of Denys Shmyhal, whose resignation was approved by parliament a day earlier.
Political implications of Shmyhal’s resignation
Shmyhal headed the government for more than five years, longer than any prime minister in contemporary Ukrainian history. However, Ukrainian analysts believe that his departure will not change the country’s political course.
Critics also claim that his resignation was the result of a confrontation between the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, and the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, Davyd Arakhamia. Shmyhal was considered Arahamia’s protégé, whereas Svyrydenko worked for Yermak.
According to sources close to the Ukrainian government, Shmyhal was “hesitant” to carry out certain assignments, such as imposing sanctions or signing a rare-earth deal with the United States. Svyrydenko, by contrast, acted without question.
However, such a cabinet change raises new legal conflicts as it violates Ukraine’s martial law, which explicitly prohibits the termination of the cabinet’s authority. Furthermore, the constitution requires that the prime minister’s candidacy be presented by the parliamentary coalition, not the president. Nevertheless, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky personally proposed Svyrydenko, bypassing the procedure, legal experts stressed.
Trusted partner
Svyrydenko is a “long-standing loyal ally of Zelensky and his enigmatic main adviser, Andriy Yermak,” according to Politico. She worked as his deputy in the presidential office for economic issues since 2020 and became first deputy prime minister in 2021.
Experts argue that with Svyrydenko’s appointment, the head of the Presidential Office significantly reinforces his position. However, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov stated that a political fight was not expected in the near future as both Zelensky and Yermak “have been co-operating for a long time.”
Zelensky, Yermak are one and the same. These are two people who […] have been co-operating for a long time. They know each other, they support each other, they are both involved in corruption matters. It’s a single entity. Therefore, no one is going to remove anyone. Neither Zelensky, nor Yermak.
Moreover, Svyrydenko is a well-known technocrat with no political ambitions. According to analysts, such figures are exactly what Zelensky and Yermak need right now to retain control. Earlier, she did not hesitate to sign a controversial rare-earth deal with the United States.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian media questioned the effectiveness of the government reform, as the composition of the cabinet is expected to remain the same. Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov would become First Deputy Prime Minister; Oleksiy Kuleba, Yermak’s ally, would retain the post of Deputy Prime Minister; and Denys Shmyhal would head the Defence Ministry.
Political experts call the latter appointment unsafe, as the defence minister takes the full blame for corruption scandals and military failures, whereas the real decisions are made by other high-ranking officials.
