Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced changes in the government and other high institutions of the country this Sunday. This is a move that has become common during the large Russian invasion unleashed since February 2022: in these four and a half years, there have been at least three government crises in Ukraine, with changes of varying magnitude.
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In principle, the prime minister, Julia Sviridenko, who arrived less than a year ago, leaves her duties. Without specifying further, the president reports that he has offered her “the opportunity to lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner.” “I have spoken with the president about the challenges our country faces, the necessary changes to strengthen the work of the government and our relations with international partners,” Sviridenko said on social media.
The name Sviridenko sounds like a possible new ambassador in Washington. Her departure from the head of the executive automatically implies the dissolution of the Cabinet of Ministers she leads. The changes must be ratified in Parliament, where the president’s party, Servant of the People, holds an absolute majority.
Speculation continues in the media and meetings at the Presidency following the prime minister’s departure. All await the appointments. Those who have already been there include the Minister of Energy and his predecessor as prime minister, Denys Shmyhal; the Minister of the Interior, Igor Klimenko; the Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov; the mayor of Kharkiv, the country’s second city, Ihor Terekhov; and the heads of the state energy companies Ukrnafta and Naftogaz, Sergii Koretskyi.
Zelensky is looking for a boost that allows a turnaround both inside and outside the country. On the one hand, he will try to promote relations with the United States, the European Union, neighboring countries such as Poland and Hungary, China, and the Gulf region. He specifically refers to the great dependence on the Patriot defense system, of American manufacture but which the president hopes to be able to access licenses to manufacture, the development of cooperation with other countries at the defense level, and the European anti-ballistic project. At the same time, he seeks greater momentum for Kyiv’s EU accession process.
On the other hand, Zelensky will try to strengthen his activity both on the front line and in the border areas of Ukraine. In this regard, the head of state expects “an increase in the supply of the weapons our army needs, including all types of drones.”
“Preparing for winter is an extremely important priority, and Ukraine must be ready for every threat that may arise,” the president added. In this way, he hints that he is already preparing for new months of intense energy war like those suffered during the last winter period, when Russian attacks had electricity and hot water infrastructures as one of their main targets.
“The transformation of state companies, on which Ukraine’s resilience significantly depends, must be accelerated,” he commented shortly before thanking Sergii Koretskyi for his work. “Now there are new challenges due to Russian attacks, particularly against energy infrastructure in border and frontline regions, service stations, and other facilities,” he added.
