The parliament in Kiev voted to resign Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko and, accordingly, the entire government. On July 12, President Zelensky announced that Sviridenko would be offered a new position. According to Ukrainian media, she is likely to become Ukraine's ambassador to the United States.
After thanking Sviridenko for her stable and effective work, the president published photos from his meetings with the head of the state energy concern “Naftogaz" Serhiy Koretsky, with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmygal, with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, with Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and with Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Why was Sviridenko removed?
There are various explanations for the president's move. Ihor Reiterovich of the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv says that the change of government was planned in principle for the fall or next spring. But a number of circumstances forced the president to intervene earlier, the political scientist points out.
This is especially true of the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanyshyna. She is under investigation by Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities regarding her activities before taking up her post in Washington. There are rumors that she will resign. "The Americans probably signaled that they are against an ambassador around whom there is some scandal and something should be done. That is why Zelensky had to react. Sviridenko is a good candidate, she cooperated well with the Americans in concluding the 2025 agreement on raw materials and has contacts there. The Americans are ready to work with people with whom they already have a positive experience," Reuterovich told DW.
However, he does not rule out the possibility that Zelensky was influenced by the recent scandals in the Ukrainian army, which could negatively affect his reputation. Journalistic investigations have revealed cases of torture, cruel treatment of recruits and cover-up of deaths outside the battlefield. In parallel, inspections are underway due to violations in the recruitment of soldiers, especially since many mobilized ones turned out to be unfit for service for health reasons.
The changes in the government can also serve the president to divert public attention, the expert believes. According to him, the reason may also be communication problems with individual ministers, including Defense Minister Fedorov. By changing the cabinet, Zelensky could get rid of those whose removal for image reasons would otherwise be difficult.
Yulia Sviridenko is from the entourage of the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, who surrounded himself with obedient executors in the government, Vadim Denisenko of the Ukrainian portal DS News told DW. But in a system without Yermak, Sviridenko turned out to be superfluous, although she was loyal to the president after Yermak's replacement.
Political scientist Oleksiy Kharan also believes that the government reform has something to do with Yermak's dismissal. He thinks that in this way the presidency wants to strengthen its control over the executive branch. “Zelensky once again shows who has the say - contrary to the Constitution, since the reform of the cabinet is within the exclusive competence of the parliament and at least formally must be undertaken by it. Obviously, Zelensky wants to demonstrate that he holds the reins firmly”, points out Haran.
According to him, one of the reasons for the sudden change of government could be the need to find a solution to the country's energy problems. Therefore, among the candidates for the post of prime minister are Ihor Koretsky and Denys Shmygal - two specialists in this field. “I don't think this is the main reason, but this is an important factor”, comments Haran.
Who will be the new prime minister?
Volodymyr Fesenko from the Center for Applied Political Research “Penta” points out that President Zelensky usually makes decisions on appointments in a large “package”. "This was the case last year, and it seems that it will be the case this year as well. It's not just about changes in the government - reforms are also planned in the law enforcement agencies," he told DW.
The changes will probably also include the renewal of the president's team, says Vadim Denisenko. Observers suggest that the head of the state concern "Naftogaz" Serhiy Koretsky will take the post of prime minister.
Ihor Reiterovich, for his part, points out that loyalty will play a key role in the election of the president. And the deputies will most likely be presented with a candidate chosen by the president for approval - although Ukraine has a parliamentary-presidential model of government and the parliament is responsible for the government. However, the National Assembly of Ukraine has a chance to prove that power has not completely slipped away from it, says Reiterovich.
Author: Liliya Rzheutskaya