Yulia Svyrydenko elected new prime minister of Ukraine
A clear majority in the Supreme Council of Ukraine has elected Yulia Svyrydenko as the country's new prime minister. The 39-year-old economist succeeds Denys Shmyhal, who had held the post since 2020 and will now take over as defence minister. What can she do better?
Reliable and competent
Svyrydenko is the right woman at the right time, comments TVNET:
“The rotation of government posts comes at a time when Ukraine needs to transition from continuous crisis management to a long-term governance and reconstruction model. Its allies increasingly expect not only courage and resilience, but also a well-planned strategy and predictable behaviour. ... As minister of economic development, Svyrydenko actively led negotiations with the European Union in recent years and represented Ukraine in Washington. She has shown that she is a systematic doer, skilled in developing international relations, and that is exactly what is needed right now.”
She speaks Trump's language
Les Échos praises the new Ukrainian PM for her diplomatic success in the spring:
“She speaks perfect English and, above all, perfect Trumpese. Yulia Svyrydenko, who was appointed prime minister of Ukraine on Thursday, earned her stripes in the spring when, as minister of economic development, she concluded the natural resources deal with Washington. Praised for her 'professionalism' and 'cool head' in Ukraine, these proved to be particularly effective weapons on this key diplomatic front. In short, she is a real gem who has earned the attention and respect of the US authorities.”
Predecessors did their work well
Unian praises the outgoing cabinet for its work under extremely adverse circumstances:
“Somehow the state managed to maintain macroeconomic stability (mainly thanks to the unprecedented support of our Western partners). We managed to maintain our transport and energy infrastructure even under the pressure of the destructive Russian attacks. The defence industry developed rapidly - around 40 percent of all weapons on the front line are now domestically produced. ... Despite the destruction of logistics chains and production capacities, the Ukrainians have not experienced any shortages of supplies and the country's companies have been able to continue growing even under these conditions.”