Ukraine is facing a government reshuffle. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to head the government on Monday. The appointment aims to better develop Ukraine's economic potential. He also spoke with Svyrydenko about measures to improve aid to citizens in the country and about increasing arms production, Zelenskyy announced.

Economics and trade expert takes over Svyrydenko is considered an expert in economics and trade. Born in 1985 in the Chernihiv region, north of Kyiv, the politician initially worked in local politics and the private sector before joining the government following Zelensky's 2019 election victory, initially as deputy minister of economy. She later rose to deputy head of the presidential administration and, since 2021, minister of economy and deputy head of government. Since the beginning of the war, she has been involved in attracting international aid and loans. The formation of a government is not entirely unexpected.

The previous head of government, Denys Shmyhal, had relatively little influence. Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a deputy from the small pro-European Holos party, had predicted Shmyhal's downfall in mid-June. His cabinet "is losing more and more support," he said at the time. A reshuffle out of consideration for Washington? Moreover, there has been growing speculation recently about another important personnel matter:

Defense Minister Rustem Umjerov was considered as a possible ambassador to Washington. Zelensky wants to accommodate US President Donald Trump by replacing the previous ambassador, Oksana Markarova, according to media reports. Republicans accuse Markarova of being too close to the US Democrats. For Kyiv, a good relationship with Washington is important to continue expecting arms deliveries and other support from the United States.