Ukraines Prime Minister Steps Down as Zelenskyy Reveals Leadership Changes

Yuliia Svyrydenko, appointed prime minister of Ukraine on July 17, 2025, speaks in the Ukrainian Parliament as the vice prime minister and minister of economy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 8, 2025. Vadym Sarakhan/AP PhotoUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on July 12 that his country’s prime minister has stepped down as part of a political strategy shift. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko had held the position for a year.“I am grateful to Yuliia 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 wrote in a statement on July 12.He did not specify Svyrydenko’s new role or who would fill her role. He said changes will also be made to the composition of the heads of law enforcement agencies. The Ukrainian president did not elaborate on why the changes were being made at this time.“I expect that together with parliamentarians, we will carry out the appropriate replacements in the government of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak suspected that Svyrydenko could be tapped as the new ambassador to the United States.Zelenskyy said he planned to hire a specific person with significant experience to oversee each priority foreign policy direction Ukraine pursues.The leader said the most prominent issues at the time include security talks with the United States, the European anti-missile project, working on a clear path to membership in the European Union, relations with Ukraine’s neighboring states, security and economic cooperation in the Middle East, and negotiating ways to have China “do more to help end Russia’s war against Ukraine.”“An extraordinarily important direction is preparation for winter, and Ukraine needs readiness for all threats that may arise,” Zelenskyy said.Svyrydenko said she was grateful to Zelenskyy “for his trust and for his high assessment of our team’s work.”“I am proud to have had the honor of leading the Government during one of the most difficult periods in Ukraine’s modern history,” she wrote in an X post.U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026. Win McNamee/Getty ImagesSvyrydenko said that she is “ready to serve the Ukrainian state and carry out every task aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s position, defending our national interests, and bringing a just peace closer.”Svyrydenko is an economist who was appointed to the high-ranking position in July 2025.Before she became the prime minister, Svyrydenko served as Zelenskyy’s deputy head of office and ​deputy prime minister responsible for economic development and trade.Reuters contributed to this report.