ISTANBUL 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that he intends to nominate current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is being replaced by Yulia Svyrydenko, as defense minister, calling his experience vital during the war.

“Denys Shmyhal’s colossal experience will definitely be useful in the position of Minister of Defense of Ukraine — it is in this area that the country’s resources are currently at their maximum, tasks are at their maximum, and there is a lot of responsibility,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address.

He said Economy Minister Svyrydenko has been offered to take over the premiership, citing her record in boosting Ukrainian production and entrepreneurship.

“I count on sufficient support from the people’s deputies for the new configuration of the government of Ukraine. And it is important that the government quickly conducts an audit of all agreements with our partners — what works and what needs to be revised or activated,” the president added.

The changes follow his recent meetings with both Shmyhal and Svyrydenko, aimed at restructuring governance to cut bureaucracy, scale up defense production, and redirect resources toward the war effort.

Shmyhal, who has served as prime minister since March 2020, was also recently mentioned in media reports as a potential candidate to replace Oksana Markarova as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US.