7 months ago
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Zelensky nominates new prime minister to lead Ukraine government
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has asked first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as Ukraine's war with Russia raged on.
Mr Zelensky also proposed that Ukraine's current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, take over as defence minister, describing him as holding the right qualifications for a very important job.
"We... discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine's economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production," Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
"In pursuit of this goal, we are initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine," he said, adding that he had proposed that Ms Svyrydenko lead the government and "significantly renew its work".
Ms Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist and has served as first deputy prime minister since 2021. She played a key role in recent negotiations for a minerals deal with the United States.
Arpan Rai15 July 2025 04:27
Trump threatens Russia with new sanctions if no peace deal is reached in 50 days
The US could impose crippling secondary sanctions on Russia if the three-year-old war it has been waging against Ukraine is not brought to an end by 2 September, president Donald Trump has said.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday alongside Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, Mr Trump said he’s “very unhappy” with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, and pledged to impose what he described as “very severe tariffs” on Moscow “if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.”
“I’m disappointed in President Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there. So based on that, we’re going to be doing secondary tariffs. If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, it’s very simple, and they’ll be at 100 percent, and that’s the way it is. That can be more simple. It’s just the way it is. I hope we don’t have to do it,” he said.
Read Andrew Feinberg’s full report here:
Arpan Rai15 July 2025 04:19
