Svyrydenko, who previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister, is known for her strong negotiating skills and close working relationship with the United States - particularly in talks over a critical minerals agreement.
Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist from northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region and a graduate of Kyiv’s National University of Trade and Economics.
She began her career in international business, including work with Chinese investors, before moving into public service in 2015 and rising steadily through government ranks to become deputy prime minister and economy minister in 2021.
The leadership change brings an end to the five-year tenure of Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s longest-serving prime minister since independence.
Shmyhal will remain in government as defense minister, a crucial post as Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s full-scale invasion.
While some ministers are being replaced, key figures - including the interior minister and Andriy Sybiha, the foreign minister known for his fluency in Polish - will retain their positions in the new Cabinet.
On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced via social media that he had appointed Olha Stefanishyna as his Special Representative for the Development of Cooperation with the United States.
The Ukrainian leader said Stefanishyna will help maintain momentum in US-Ukrainian relations while formal procedures for her nomination as Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington are still underway.
(mp/gs)
Source: IAR/PR24/X/@Svyrydenko_Y/@ZelenskyyUa
Read more about this topic: