Zelensky announces government reshuffle, proposes replacing Prime Minister Svyrydenko
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 12 July 2026 that he had proposed replacing Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after about a year in office. He thanked her for “clear, steady and effective work” and offered her “the opportunity to lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner.” Zelensky said the changes are needed to “ensure the implementation of an updated political strategy” and will involve a renewal of the cabinet and changes in the leadership of law‑enforcement agencies. No successor was named, but opposition lawmakers mentioned possible candidates such as Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Naftogaz chief Serhiy Koretskyi; Svyrydenko is expected to become Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. The president highlighted priority foreign‑policy areas – the United States, the Patriot missile‑licence programme, a European anti‑missile project, EU integration, relations with Poland, Hungary, the Middle East, the Gulf and China – and domestic tasks such as winter defence preparation and state‑enterprise transformation. Under Ukrainian law the prime‑minister’s resignation must be approved by parliament, which would trigger the resignation of the entire government.