Ukraine: New Government Under the Banner of Alliance with Washington

On Thursday (July 17), Ukrainian President Zelenskyy carried out a major government reshuffle, appointing Yulia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine. Zelenskyy stated that the government reshuffle aims to inject new vitality into this country that has been at war with Russia for more than three years. His government seeks to maintain harmony with its ally, the United States.

With Russia increasing its offensive, Ukraine finally saw a government reshuffle. Shmyhal, who had served as Prime Minister since March 2020, handed over power to Svyrydenko. According to Anne-Marie Dombrowski, an expert on Ukrainian issues, this strategic change is a signal to Moscow.

"This is a very democratic way of responding to Russia: during the occupation, we will not change the election schedule, even for partial elections; however, democratic life continues and will be conducted in a standard way. We also saw the desire to strengthen actions in this reshuffle. The number of ministers was reduced from 22 to 17, and each person's responsibilities are clearer. We saw this desire to improve efficiency, and possibly even more managerial," she explained to Albanne Leprince of Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Svyrydenko was appointed as Prime Minister by a margin of 262 votes in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian government underwent a major reshuffle. President Zelenskyy supported this appointment, hoping that the cabinet would focus on deregulation and economic cooperation. Ms. Svyrydenko previously served as Minister of Economy and has experience in international negotiations, including with the United States. Although the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated her, some opposition party members are skeptical about the new Ukrainian government, believing it relies on Zelenskyy.

The new Ukrainian Prime Minister said on social media on July 17 that the top priority of the new government in the next six months is to provide high-quality support for the army, increase domestic weapons production, and enhance military technological capabilities. She stated that Ukraine is moving towards military, economic, and social self-sufficiency, and the new government will fully support Ukrainian enterprises, taking rapid and concrete measures, including comprehensive deregulation and accelerating large-scale privatization. In addition, the reorganization of Ukrainian government agencies has already begun, and a comprehensive audit of government spending is being carried out.

New Ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanichyna

Additionally, Zelenskyy has appointed the outgoing Ukrainian minister Stefanichyna as the new ambassador to the United States, but her nomination still needs approval from Washington. She will succeed Markarova, who participated in organizing the initiation of U.S. aid at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine and maintained good relations with the Biden administration.

However, as Trump returns to the White House, Markarova's close relationship with Democratic leaders has become a burden. Trump had previously strongly criticized his predecessor's provision of hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv. But the current president recently changed his stance, announcing that he will carry out large-scale rearmament of Ukraine through a NATO agreement and give Russia 50 days to reach a peace agreement, otherwise facing sanctions.

According to the French department of this station, Zelenskyy stated that Stefanichyna, who also participated in the mineral rights agreement negotiations, must "maintain the good momentum with the United States." Her appointment came as a surprise, because initially, the president suggested that the position would be held by the outgoing Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The president did not explain the reason for this change or reveal whether Rustem Umerov would take on other positions.

Zelenskyy also said that the restructuring of the security sector will begin on the 18th, and the personnel update of the diplomatic institutions will be completed on the 21st, in preparation for subsequent reforms in related areas.

Source: rfi

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837945804590092/

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