A 39-year-old economist, Yulia Svyrydenko, has been confirmed as the new prime minister of Ukraine in a major wartime cabinet reshuffle. Yulia brings years of public service from the regional economic leadership to First Deputy Prime Minister. Yulia Svyrydenko, 39, has been tasked by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with boosting domestic weapons production and reviving Ukraine’s loan-dependent economy.
In a speech to parliament, Zelensky said that he expected, with his new government, to increase the share of domestic weapons on Ukraine’s battlefield to 50% from 40% within six months.
Who Is Yulia Svyrydenko?
Svyrydenko served as the first deputy prime minister and the minister of economic development and trade—the roles that brought her in close contact with the administration of Trump. Yulia was credited with negotiating a critical mineral deal between Washington and Kyiv earlier this year that helped thaw an initially frosty relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy.
In a post on social media, Yulia said that she intends to focus on expanding Ukraine’s domestic weapons production and the strength of the armed forces and supporting the economy.
“Our Government sets its course toward a Ukraine that stands firm on its own foundations — military, economic, and social,” she said. “My key goal is real, positive results that every Ukrainian will feel in daily life. War leaves no room for delay. We must act swiftly and decisively,” she said.
She also thanked Zelenskyy for his trust.
It is a great honor for me to lead the Government of Ukraine today.
Our Government sets its course toward a Ukraine that stands firm on its own foundations — military, economic, and social. My key goal is real, positive results that every Ukrainian will feel in daily life.
War… pic.twitter.com/oytWMCp1S3
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) July 17, 2025
“I am grateful to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his trust. Grateful to the Parliament for its support. Grateful to Denys Shmyhal and his team for their service. We continue — for victory, for recovery, for Ukraine,” she added.
Yulia is also well known to the Trump administration, having negotiated a deal giving the United States preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth. According to news agency Reuters, it was considered to bolster relations between Kyiv and Washington.
