Zelensky dismisses Prime Minister Svyrydenko in cabinet overhaul to pursue new political strategy

Announcement and dismissal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened a sweeping government overhaul on Sunday, announcing that he had offered Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko a new role and that the entire cabinet would be renewed. In a statement on X, Zelensky said the changes were needed to implement an updated political strategy as Kyiv intensifies its aerial strike campaign against Russia.

Ukraine is changing its political strategy. These changes require a renewal of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Zelensky thanked Svyrydenko for her "clear, steady, and effective work" and said he had offered her the chance to "lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner," without specifying which country or what position. Svyrydenko, a 40-year-old economist who was appointed prime minister in July 2025 after serving as economy minister and leading negotiations on a US minerals deal, accepted the shift.

I am proud to have had the honour of leading the government during one of the most difficult periods in Ukraine’s modern history.

The new foreign-policy priorities

The reshuffle is designed to assign a dedicated, experienced official to each of seven priority foreign-policy areas. Zelensky listed them in his post:

Among the most important areas are the United States and our agreements on licenses for the production of Patriot systems, the European missile defence project, the EU, the countries bordering Ukraine, particularly Poland and Hungary, the Middle East and Gulf region, China, and key international organisations.

He stressed that the US relationship must deliver concrete gains for both countries through co‑production of Patriot systems and other bilateral security cooperation. Progress toward EU membership, a new foundation for ties with Poland and Hungary, and deeper engagement with the Gulf and China were also singled out. Domestically, the president pointed to winter preparations, faster transformation of state enterprises, and an overhaul of law‑enforcement leadership.

Who might succeed Svyrydenko

Zelensky did not name a successor, but people familiar with his plans told the Financial Times that Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi is a leading candidate. Koretskyi met the president on Sunday. After the meeting Zelensky said the gas chief had "ensured that Ukraine’s national interests were upheld" in a complex sector. Energy Minister and former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov were also cited as possible candidates by several sources. Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak told Ukrainska Pravda that Koretskyi had the strongest chance.

Svyrydenko is widely expected to become Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, two people familiar with the matter said. She has built close ties with senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration while overseeing the minerals deal. The current envoy, Olha Stefanishyna, faces a continuing investigation into her family’s purchase of a Kyiv apartment at an allegedly below‑market price; both she and other officials deny wrongdoing.

A reshuffle in a shifting war

The overhaul is the fourth government reorganisation since Russia’s full‑scale invasion in February 2022 and comes less than a year after the July 2025 reshuffle that made Svyrydenko prime minister and replaced several ministers. It occurs as Ukraine’s sustained drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities and military infrastructure are shifting battlefield momentum, with the New York Times reporting that the war is turning in Kyiv’s favour. At the same time, Zelensky promised changes among law‑enforcement chiefs, a move that follows the so‑called Midas corruption case involving a $100 million kickback scheme at state nuclear company Energoatom.

What happens next

Any ministerial changes require parliamentary approval. Zelensky’s Servant of the People party holds a majority, but lawmakers have not always voted along party lines, so the president said he would work with parliament to secure the appointments. No timeline was given, but the announcement is expected to trigger a swift vote on the new cabinet. Zelensky’s statement made clear that the reshuffle is not just about personnel but a reorientation of the entire government apparatus toward the priority foreign‑policy areas he outlined, signalling a more hands‑on management of the country’s international alliances.