Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed a new prime minister as the country continues to battle Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday voted by a comfortable majority in favor of Yuliia Svyrydenko, who last month negotiated a major U.S.–Ukraine minerals and investment framework with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the country’s new prime minister.
Svyrydenko, 39, who previously served as economy minister and one of Ukraine’s deputy prime ministers from November 2021, replaces outgoing Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the longest-serving head of government in Ukraine’s history.
Shmyhal, who met with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg this week after President Donald Trump approved the sale of more Patriot systems, will take on a new role as Ukraine’s defense minister, according to the parliament’s website.
This represents the most significant Ukrainian government restructuring since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022, and is viewed by opposition lawmakers as a way for Zelenskyy to consolidate power.
