On July 17, Ukraine’s Parliament has approved the appointment of Yulia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Yulia Svyrydenko’s appointment was backed by 262 members of parliament, making her the 19th Prime Minister of Ukraine and the second woman ever to hold the post. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally nominated her to lead the government.
“I look forward to seeing the new government’s action plan presented in the near future,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media following a meeting with Svyrydenko on July 14.
Who is Yulia Svyrydenko?
Yulia Svyrydenko—a driving force behind the recent Ukraine‑US rare-earth and minerals agreement —played a pivotal role in negotiating and signing the deal. As First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, she led Ukraine’s delegation to Washington and signed the agreement with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 30.
Under the agreement, Ukraine and the US established a joint Reconstruction Investment Fund governing revenue from critical minerals—including rare earth elements—as well as oil and gas.
Svyrydenko praised the agreement as “mutually beneficial” and a signal of US commitment to long-term peace in Ukraine. By securing Ukrainian control over resources, fair revenue sharing, and a built-in security-economic link, she positioned the deal as a landmark in Ukraine‑US strategic and economic cooperation.
Early career and international experience
Born in Chernihiv on December 25, 1985, Svyrydenko graduated with honors from Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics in 2008 and later completed several postgraduate programs. That same year, she began her career as a financial economist at a Ukrainian-Andorran real estate firm in Kyiv.
In 2011, she was appointed head of Chernihiv’s permanent trade mission in Wuxi, China, where she worked to attract Chinese investment into Ukraine. One result of her efforts was the establishment of Eko-Vtor, a Chernihiv-based company backed by 100% foreign capital.
Rise through regional and national government
Svyrydenko entered public service in 2015 as an adviser to the head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration (RSA). Later that year, she became head of the Regional Department of Economic Development and, in 2017, was promoted to First Deputy Governor, temporarily acting as the region’s top official.
During her time at the RSA, Chernihiv reportedly attracted more than $340 million in foreign direct investment—roughly 80% of the total $430 million the region received at the time. In 2017, Chernihiv ranked first among all Ukrainian regions for investment growth.
In 2019, Svyrydenko joined Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy as a deputy minister and was promoted to first deputy minister in 2020. She oversaw labor, employment, industry, and pricing policy.
Later that year, she was appointed deputy head of the Office of the President, where she managed economic policy and investor relations. She also chaired the Presidential Council for Business Support, established by Zelenskyy.
Svyrydenko has been awarded the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Honorary Certificate for her public service.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine and the United States have completed all necessary procedures to launch the Reconstruction Fund established under their subsoil agreement, officially putting the fund into operation.
The announcement was made on May 23 by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko via her social media account on X.
