Kyiv [Ukraine], July 18: The Ukrainian Parliament on July 17 voted to approve a new government, which will be led by new Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
During the session on July 17, the Ukrainian parliament voted to officially appoint Ms. Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister, receiving 262 votes in favor out of 450 parliamentarians, Reuters reported, citing information from a number of Ukrainian parliamentarians.
New Prime Minister Svyrydenko vowed to take decisive and swift action. Writing on social network X on July 17, she said the government's goal in the first six months of its new term would be to establish a reliable supply of weapons, expand domestic arms production and strengthen the military's technological capabilities.
Before becoming the new Prime Minister of Ukraine, the 39-year-old politician was appointed as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy from 2021. Ms. Svyrydenko is the second woman to lead the Ukrainian government, after former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko (in 2005 and 2007-2010).
On July 17, the Ukrainian Parliament also approved a new cabinet, in which Mr. Taras Kachka became Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine in charge of European integration, Mr. Oleksiy Sobolev became Minister of Economy, Agriculture and Environment of Ukraine, Ms. Svitlana Hrynchuk became Minister of Energy of Ukraine. Former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal , Ms. Svyrydenko's predecessor, was appointed Minister of Defense of Ukraine .
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new cabinet of nominees, aiming to overhaul the government. Speaking to the Ukrainian parliament, Mr. Zelensky said that streamlining regulations and expanding economic cooperation with allies were other important goals of the government reform.
The biggest challenge for Ms. Svyrydenko is running a government during wartime, when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has lasted more than three years and is still in a period of intense fighting.
With state revenues funneled into defense , Kyiv will also need to find money to plug a growing budget deficit as foreign aid dwindles, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Svyrydenko said her government would conduct a comprehensive audit of public finances to achieve "substantial savings," as well as speed up large-scale privatization.
Also related to the move to reshuffle the Ukrainian government's personnel, President Zelensky announced the appointment of Ms. Olha Stefanishyna, former Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European integration, as Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Politico reported on July 17.
Ms. Stefanishyna will temporarily serve as the President of Ukraine's special envoy to the US, before being approved by Washington to become an ambassador. Previously, Mr. Zelensky said he planned to appoint former Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as Ambassador to the US. It is not yet clear why the Ukrainian leader changed his mind.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper