"Thank you to the soldiers who are holding the front lines and defending Ukraine! Thank you, President Volodymyr Zelensky, for your trust," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said today after submitting his resignation to parliament.

If parliament approves Shmyhal's resignation, the entire Ukrainian government will be automatically dissolved, and members of parliament will have a maximum of 30 days to elect a new prime minister. Zelensky's Servant of the People party holds a majority in parliament and is expected to quickly support the Ukrainian president's decisions.

Earlier, the Kyiv Independent, citing Member of Parliament Yaroslav Yurchyshyn and a source in the Ukrainian parliament, reported that they expected a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Shmyhal's government on 16/7. The vote to approve the new cabinet was scheduled for the following day, according to the agenda proposed by the Servant of the People party.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at an event in Kyiv on 23/2. Photo: Ukrinform

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at an event in Kyiv on 23/2. Photo: Ukrinform

The votes will finalize President Zelensky's plan to reshuffle the entire government, initiated on 14/7, when he nominated First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko to head the government to "promote strong innovation in operations".

The Ukrainian president suggested that Shmyhal, who has served as prime minister since 2020, might be appointed Minister of Defense. Rustem Umerov, the current head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, is being considered for the position of ambassador to the US.

The list of the remaining candidates for the new cabinet has not yet been announced by Zelensky. The Ukrainian president met today with Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to discuss key tasks for the new government over the next 6 months.

The main priorities include: increasing domestic weapons production, completing contracts for the full supply of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the military, promoting the removal of economic barriers and unlocking domestic potential, and ensuring the full implementation of social support programs for citizens, Zelensky wrote on social media.

Thanh Danh (Reuters, Kyiv Independent)