KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a major reshuffle of the government on Sunday (Jul 12), proposing the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the heads of some law enforcement agencies.
Zelenskyy did not say who would replace Svyrydenko or elaborate on the reasons for the changes.
“I am grateful to (Svyrydenko) for her clear, steady, and effective work as Prime Minister, for her years of productive service on Ukraine’s team, and I have offered her the opportunity to lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner,” Zelenskyy said on X.
“I expect that, together with MPs, we will make the corresponding changes in the Government of Ukraine. There will also be changes among the heads of law enforcement agencies,” he added.
Zelenskyy nominated Svyrydenko to the role of prime minister last year.
In a statement on X, Zelenskyy listed a number of tasks that Ukraine needed to undertake, including making progress towards joining the European Union and strengthening its border areas.
He also said he planned to assign different people to manage different areas of foreign policy.
“We determined that these changes require a renewal of the Cabinet of Ministers,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating.
Cabinet reshuffles require parliamentary approval – although lawmakers have largely coalesced around Zelenskyy since Russia’s invasion, and do not typically block his agenda.