Zelenskyy's Cabinet 3.0: how the Ukrainian government will change
Kyiv • UNN
President Zelenskyy proposed Yulia Svyrydenko to head the government, which will lead to the resignation of Denys Shmyhal and the entire Cabinet of Ministers. Shmyhal may head the Ministry of Defense, and Umerov may become the ambassador to the USA.
Today, July 14, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had offered First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko to head the government, which would entail the automatic resignation of the current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and, accordingly, the entire government. UNN tells who may leave and who may retain their positions in the Svyrydenko government.
Details
I have proposed to Yulia Svyrydenko to head the government of Ukraine and significantly update its work. I expect the presentation of the new government's action program in the near future.
Zelenskyy proposed Svyrydenko to head the government7/14/25, 2:49 PM • 6856 views
What does the law say?
According to Section VI of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Ukraine is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine upon the submission of the President of Ukraine.
The candidate for the position of Prime Minister of Ukraine is submitted by the President of Ukraine upon the proposal of the coalition of parliamentary factions in the Verkhovna Rada. Also, according to the Constitution, the resignation of the current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal entails the resignation of the entire government.
However, the Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" stipulates that during martial law, the powers of, among others, the Cabinet of Ministers cannot be terminated.
New government
As already mentioned, Yulia Svyrydenko, who heads the Ministry of Economy, may become the new Prime Minister instead of Shmyhal. People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reports that Oleksiy Sobolev, Svyrydenko's first deputy, who was appointed to this position in July last year, may become the new Minister of Economy.
Zheleznyak also reports that Shmyhal is to head the Ministry of Defense, which is currently headed by Rustem Umerov. At the same time, Umerov may be "sent" as ambassador to the USA instead of Oksana Markarova, whom Zelenskyy has already informed about her resignation.
In addition, Zheleznyak reports that the Ministry of Defense is planned to be merged with the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, which has been headed by Herman Smetanin since September 2024.
It should be noted that the minister and the minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine are appointed by the Verkhovna Rada upon the submission of the President of Ukraine, so first Zelenskyy must register in the Rada a submission for the dismissal of Umerov and the current head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha. In addition, it is worth noting that the minister of defense is appointed from among civilian persons, so the conditional head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov cannot become the minister of defense, as rumors previously suggested.
Zheleznyak also reports that the new government plans to dismiss the Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, who has held the position since 2023. Who will become the new head of the Ministry of Education and Science is currently unknown. It is also planned to dismiss Oksana Zholnovych from the post of Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, and Denys Uliutin, the first deputy minister of finance, may be appointed instead.
No changes are planned in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine - it will continue to be headed by Natalia Kalmykova. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, headed by Matviy Bidnyi, the Ministry of Finance, headed by Serhiy Marchenko, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Ihor Klymenko, and the Ministry of Health, headed by Viktor Liashko, are planned to remain unchanged.
However, there is a possibility of dismissing Herman Halushchenko, who heads the Ministry of Energy. Instead, Svitlana Hrynchuk, who currently heads the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, is planned to be appointed. Who will take Hrynchuk's position is currently unknown.
In addition, the Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine, which was created on the basis of the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, will likely be liquidated. Currently, the ministry is headed by Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was notified of suspicion of abuse of office and receiving a bribe of a particularly large amount for himself and third parties.
The High Anti-Corruption Court chose a preventive measure for Chernyshov in the form of bail of UAH 120 million. After the court session, Chernyshov stated that he intended to pay the bail, despite problems with his accounts.
Chernyshov Released on 120 Million Hryvnia Bail6/27/25, 6:44 PM • 152937 views
At the same time, the HACC decided not to remove Oleksiy Chernyshov from the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity.
What's next?
As reported by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, the dismissal of ministers is planned to be held in the Rada this Wednesday, July 16, and the appointment of the new government is planned to be held on Thursday, July 17.
It is worth noting that in case of the Cabinet of Ministers' dismissal, all government bills (which have not passed the first reading) are withdrawn, including the bill that was adopted today at the government meeting on increasing assistance for childbirth: the one-time payment will increase to UAH 50,000, instead of 10, and monthly support for expectant mothers without work experience - to UAH 7,000. In addition, families will be able to receive additional monthly assistance if parents go to work after the child is 1 year old.
It should be emphasized that this will be the third change of government during Zelenskyy's presidency. After taking office as President, a new government of Ukraine was formed in August 2019, headed by Oleksiy Honcharuk.
Already in March 2020, Honcharuk resigned, which meant the resignation of the entire government. The next day, Honcharuk's government was replaced by Shmyhal's government, which he still heads, making him a record holder for the longest tenure among all heads of government of independent Ukraine.