KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as prospects for an end to Ukraine’s war with Russia grow dim.
The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, comes 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 programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production,” Zelenskiy wrote on X.
“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 by training 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.
Ukraine relies on financial aid from its Western allies to finance social and humanitarian spending as the bulk of state revenues go to fund the army and domestic weapons production.
Ukrainian officials have also urged Kyiv’s partners to help finance the country’s arms industry, including through joint defence projects.
Writing on X, Svyrydenko said she would pursue deregulation, cut back bureaucracy, protect business and reduce non-critical expenditure to achieve the “full concentration of state resources” for defence and post-war recovery.
“The state apparatus has no right to waste the resources and potential of our country,” she said. “Ukraine deserves to be among the strongest economies in Europe.”
Ukraine’s current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, has held the post since March 2020, making him the longest-serving head of government since the country gained its independence from Moscow in 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Gareth Jones)
