Ukraine Appoints New Prime Minister Amid Leadership Shake-Up

Ukraine confirmed its new prime minister on July 17, as President Volodymyr Zelensky tries to wrestle wartime defense spending into shape and win over both US President Donald Trump and a war-weary public with fresh-faced leadership.

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Ms Yulia Svyrydenko, 39, the only candidate for the post, was expected to take over a reshuffled Cabinet, tasked with scaling up a fledgling arms industry and breathing life into an economy kept afloat by Western lenders.

Mr. Zelensky's choice of a young economist well known in Washington reflects the importance of repairing relations with the Trump administration after his disastrous White House visit in February.

Ms. Svyrydenko's outgoing predecessor, Mr. Denys Shmyhal, is, meanwhile, likely to shift to the job of defense minister, a sign of the importance Kyiv now places on building up the capacity of its defense industry as the best chance of fending off Russia.

But with Mr. Zelensky still relying on a small handful of close allies to make his biggest Cabinet reshuffle of the war, the moves could disappoint Ukrainians who want to see a wider talent pool at the top.

Ms. Svyrydenko, with a more prominent public profile than Mr. Shmyhal, has already played a role in shoring up ties with the US and was one of Kyiv's main negotiators in reaching a deal that gives Washington preferential access to swathes of Ukraine's mineral wealth.

Her nomination sent a signal to Washington that Kyiv is prioritizing the relationship, said political analyst Mykola Davydiuk.