The Verkhovna Rada has officially appointed Yuliia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine, following a nomination by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On July 17, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved Yuliia Svyrydenko as the country’s new Prime Minister. Svyrydenko received 262 votes, a clear majority, signaling that lawmakers followed the lead of Zelenskyy and Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.
A total of 262 members of parliament voted in favor of Yuliia Svyrydenko’s appointment as Prime Minister, while 22 voted against and 26 abstained.
Notably, not a single vote in support of her candidacy came from the European Solidarity or Batkivshchyna factions.
The vote breakdown by faction is as follows:
- Servant of the People – 201 votes,
- Platform for Life and Peace – 15 votes,
- Dovira – 15 votes,
- For the Future – 12 votes,
- Restoration of Ukraine – 10 votes,
- Holos – 1 vote.
This vote marks a key step in the sweeping reshuffle of Ukraine’s government, aimed at strengthening wartime governance and accelerating reforms amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Her appointment, formally submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marks a pivotal point in a sweeping transformation of Ukraine’s executive branch, which had been announced earlier this year.
Svyrydenko replaces Denys Shmyhal, who led the government for more than five years.
According to sources, Shmyhal is now expected to take over the position of Minister of Defense.
Why Svyrydenko?
The choice of Svyrydenko as head of government was no surprise. As Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, she was already a key figure in Zelenskyy’s administration. According to DW’s Daria Nynko, writing on July 14, Zelenskyy tasked her with “significantly updating the work of the Cabinet”, especially in delivering on commitments made with international partners at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025) in Rome.
Svyrydenko has outlined three top priorities for the new Cabinet:
- Strengthening Ukraine’s economic potential.
- Expanding support programs for Ukrainian citizens.
- Scaling up the domestic production of weapons.
Ukraine’s Parliament Approves 13 Ministers in Sweeping Government Overhaul
Besides the appointment of Yuliia Svyrydenko as a new Prime Minister, in a major shake-up of Ukraine’s government, the Verkhovna Rada has confirmed 13 new ministers to the Cabinet with 253 votes in favor.
Key Appointments are as follows:
- Mykhailo Fedorov – Appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation,
- Oleksii Kuleba – Becomes Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Minister for Communities and Territorial Development,
- Taras Kachka – Named Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration,
- Matvii Bidnyi – Appointed Minister of Youth and Sports,
- Herman Halushchenko – Takes over as Minister of Justice,
- Svitlana Hrynchuk – Becomes Minister of Energy,
- Nataliia Kalmykova – Named Minister for Veterans Affairs,
- Ihor Klymenko – Confirmed as Minister of Internal Affairs,
- Oksen Lisovyi – Reappointed as Minister of Education and Science,
- Viktor Liashko – Remains Minister of Health,
- Serhii Marchenko – Stays on as Minister of Finance,
- Oleksii Soboliev – Appointed Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture,
- Denys Uliutin – Becomes Minister of Social Policy, Family, and National Unity.
This extensive reshuffle follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s nomination of Yuliia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister. The move is seen as part of a broader government reset aimed at strengthening wartime governance, accelerating reconstruction, and pushing forward Euro-Atlantic integration.
A Controlled Transition?
Despite the reshuffle, experts interviewed by DW suggest that little real change in government policy should be expected. The reason: real power remains concentrated in the Office of the President, led by Andriy Yermak, with whom Svyrydenko is seen as politically aligned.
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies, noted that Svyrydenko had long been the only serious contender for the role and that her appointment had been planned since last year, though delayed until now.
Her appointment solidifies the centralization of decision-making around Zelenskyy and his inner circle – a trend increasingly evident in wartime Ukraine.
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko and Oleksiy Haran, professor of political science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, both underscore Yuliia Svyrydenko’s loyalty to Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office.
“She’s someone who fully suits Yermak — a figure within his sphere of influence,” Haran notes.
According to Haran, the change in prime minister is unlikely to result in a shift in Ukraine’s political course, since all key decisions continue to be made in the Presidential Office (OPU), while the Cabinet of Ministers remains a technical executor.
At the same time, he acknowledges that 39-year-old Svyrydenko could inject “fresh blood” into the administration, bringing new energy and perspectives to problem-solving due to her relative youth and dynamism.
Fesenko, for his part, emphasizes that Svyrydenko will retain control over the government’s economic bloc, just as she did previously. No major changes are expected in the coordination between the Cabinet and the Presidential Office.
Tags: yuliia svyrydenko“She has solid experience — working under wartime conditions and in cooperation with international institutions,” he adds.
