Who can lead the government of Ukraine and why Zelensky is changing the prime minister — what experts say
Experts name various candidates to replace Yulia Svyrydenko.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he proposes to replace the country's current Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Denys Shmyhal may return to this position, and Svyrydenko herself — become Ukraine's ambassador to the USA.
"I am grateful to Yulia for her clear, stable, and effective work as Prime Minister, for years of productive work in the Ukrainian team, and I have offered her to head a new important direction in relations with a key partner," Zelensky stated.
The appointment of the head of government, as well as the composition of the cabinet in Ukraine, is the prerogative of parliament. The resignation of the prime minister leads to the resignation of all ministers. Sources of the BBC Ukrainian service reported that the Verkhovna Rada will convene next week to approve the candidacies.
Reuters interlocutors among Ukrainian parliamentarians believe that possible candidates for the position are Denys Shmyhal, who headed the government before Svyrydenko, Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov, and Serhiy Koretsky, head of Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Zelensky met with Koretsky immediately after the post about the upcoming change of prime minister was published; after that, he spoke with Shmyhal, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Among other changes announced by Zelensky are reshuffles in the leadership of internal affairs bodies.
40-year-old Svyrydenko spent a year as prime minister; she was appointed in July 2025 as a result of a series of reshuffles, becoming the second woman in the history of post-Soviet Ukraine to hold the position of prime minister.
Before this, she spent a year as Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, and prior to that — four years as Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for economic development and trade.
She thanked the President in response. "I am grateful to the President for his trust and appreciation of my team's work. I am proud to have been entrusted with the honor of leading the government during the most difficult period in Ukraine's modern history," her statement reads.
In his statements published on Telegram, Zelensky notes that "a specific person with extensive experience" will be responsible for each priority foreign policy direction.
"Among such directions, the most significant are: the United States and our agreements on licenses for the production of "Patriots," as well as other bilateral cooperation in the field of security, which should be reflected in concrete achievements of our states and companies of Ukraine and America; the European anti-ballistic project, which can become one of the biggest steps to strengthen Europe this decade," Zelensky writes.
The issue of producing Patriot air defense system missiles, which are in very short supply in Ukraine, came closer to resolution last week. At the NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump promised to grant Kyiv a license for their production. Experts, however, warn that the first missiles will appear in Ukraine's stockpiles no sooner than one or two years from now.
The Ukrainian president did not specify which position Svyrydenko is proposed to be appointed to, nor did the statement of the outgoing prime minister — that she is ready to "serve Ukraine" — add any specifics.
The assumption that she might become Ukraine's ambassador to the USA was previously made by opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. If so, the current Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, will leave her post less than a year after her appointment.
According to sources from Interfax-Ukraine agency, Stefanishyna decided to leave the diplomatic service of her own volition. According to the agency's interlocutor, she requested to conclude her service due to personal circumstances last week.
"The president is satisfied with Stefanishyna's work," the source added.
Sources of the BBC Ukrainian Service cannot yet speculate on what prompted Zelensky's desire to change the prime minister.
Unlike the first female head of the cabinet, Yulia Tymoshenko, Svyrydenko had no serious political ambitions, and, according to the interviewed commentators, the new person in this position will still strictly follow the course set on Bankova, where the presidential administration is located.
Svyrydenko has experience in foreign policy work: she was involved in negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union, and before that, she was in direct contact with American officials while the agreement between Ukraine and the USA on mineral extraction was being prepared. Her daily attention was focused on attracting international aid, supporting the economy, and developing the defense industry.
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