Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko confirmed on Sunday, 12 July, that she is stepping down from the head of government, following President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's announcement of a Cabinet of Ministers reshuffle. Her resignation still requires parliamentary confirmation.
Sviridenko is not leaving public service: according to Zelenskiy's post on social media, she will take over coordination with Ukraine's key international partners. She stated that she had discussed changes needed to strengthen the government's work with the president and that she remains in state service.
Zelenskiy justified the changes with a new foreign policy strategy under which each priority area will be overseen by a single person with extensive experience. Among the priorities, he cited an agreement with the United States on licensed production of missiles for Patriot systems, a European anti-ballistic missile project, accession to the European Union, and the restoration of relations with Hungary and Poland.
In the ruling Servant of the People party, the resignation came as a surprise to some MPs, according to Kyiv Independent. "The situation is strange," one MP told the paper on condition of anonymity, adding that he saw no obvious reason for the prime minister's dismissal. The party will discuss personnel changes on Tuesday, 14 July.
Potential successors include Serhii Korecki, head of the state energy company Naftogaz, Energy Minister and former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and Kyiv Mayor Ihor Tereshchenko. According to his own post, Zelenskiy held individual meetings with all four on Sunday, with Korecki currently considered the leading candidate.
Sviridenko took over the government in July 2025, succeeding Shmyhal, and had previously headed the Ministry of Economy. Zelenskiy's last major cabinet reshuffle took place in January 2026, following a corruption scandal that engulfed his inner circle, including former Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak.
