Ukraine's prime minister resigns, opening the door to a broad government reshuffle

Key Points

• Denys Shmyhal resigned as prime minister, marking the first formal step in a significant government reshuffle proposed by President Zelensky.
• Yuliia Svyrydenko, the deputy prime minister and Ukraine’s first female economy minister who led a U.S.–Ukraine mineral deal, is Zelensky’s nominee to replace Shmyhal.
• The reshuffle could move Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to Washington as envoy and see Ambassador Oksana Markarova replaced, reflecting a push to strengthen U.S. ties.
• Officials say the changes aim to shore up governance and international backing as Kyiv faces intensified Russian attacks and seeks ongoing U.S. military support.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s prime minister announced his resignation Tuesday in the first formal step of what is expected to be a significant reshuffle of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government, which could also see the country’s ambassador to Washington replaced.

“I am tendering my resignation from the post of the Prime Minister of Ukraine,” Denys Shmyhal wrote in a letter posted on his Telegram page.

Zelenskyy said Monday that he has offered Shmyhal's job to 39-year-old Yuliia Svyrydenko, who is currently deputy prime minister and the country’s first female economy minister.

Svyrydenko played a key role in negotiating a U.S.–Ukraine mineral agreement. She has frequently represented Ukraine in high-level talks with Western partners, focusing on defense cooperation, economic recovery and reconstruction.

It wasn't immediately clear how the reshuffle will play out in coming days, as the Ukrainian parliament must schedule a vote on Zelenskyy’s proposed changes amid the all-out war launched by Russia on Feb. 24, 2022.

The reshuffle coincides with increasing pressure on the front line by Russia’s bigger army and escalating assaults by drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities.

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Monday to supply more weapons for Ukraine, paid for by European countries. But Kyiv officials are keen to lock in Washington’s future support amid fears that the Republican administration could walk away from the conflict.

“To us it is very important, in the context of what is happening now, to strengthen ties with the U.S.,” Zelenskyy said last week.

The Ukrainian leader recently said that he thought Shmyhal would make a good defense minister — a move that would make the current defense chief, Rustem Umerov, available to take over as Ukraine’s envoy to Washington, observers note.

Zelenskyy had previously voiced his intention to replace U.S. Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

Umerov, 43, was appointed as Ukraine’s defense minister in September 2023, following a series of corruption scandals. He has sought to introduce reforms, but critics said that the Defense Ministry was plagued by mismanagement.

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