Ukraine’s appointment of Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister highlights the country’s need to balance defence with economic development and modernisation, and the crucial role that relations with the United States will play in the coming years.
Ms Svyrydenko (39) was approved by parliament in Kyiv on Thursday to replace Denys Shmyhal as premier, in a cabinet reshuffle that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said should energise innovation and production in the defence sector and other fields while streamlining the state and slashing bureaucracy.
In her previous post as economy minister and deputy prime minister, Ms Svyrydenko shot to prominence by leading the delegation that signed a controversial agreement with the US on joint exploitation of Ukraine’s natural resources in April.
The deal – which gives the US preferential access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and other commodities, and foresees the creation of an investment fund for postwar reconstruction – helped rebuild ties between Washington and Kyiv after a meeting between Mr Zelenskiy and US president Donald Trump had ended in acrimony two months earlier.
RM Block
Ms Svyrydenko, an experienced economist, drew praise for clinching the difficult deal, and Kyiv hopes the connections she made with Mr Trump’s administration will strengthen Ukraine’s vital – but often strained – relationship with the White House.
