What Happened
Over the past week, Ukraine's political leaders have been preparing for a highly anticipated reshuffle intended to boost the popularity and reputation of the government. During a March 4 special session called by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Verkhovna Rada accepted the resignation of former Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk before moving to swear in Honcharuk's replacement, as well a new and notably more experienced Cabinet. Zelenskiy was initially expected to put forth his own pick for the premiership. But following hot debates over names raised in the media, and with several candidates refusing Zelenskiy's requests for other positions in his Cabinet, the new position defaulted to the country's deputy prime minister, Denys Shmygal, instead.
Why It Matters
The new Ukrainian Cabinet represents a distinct effort on Zelenskiy's behalf to move away from his government of young technocrats and political outsiders toward a more experienced team. Most of the new members of the Cabinet have a history in civil service or politics under previous administrations, which will help Zelenskiy project a greater degree of professionalism in managing the country's ministries. The new finance minister, Ihor Umansky, for example, served as acting minister of finance in 2009-10 under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. Similarly, the new minister of health care, Ilya Yemets, also held the same post from 2010-11 under former President Viktor Yanukovich. Meanwhile, the new minister of defense, Andriy Taran, is a retired lieutenant general, and the new minister of foreign affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, has previously worked both in the ministry and as a diplomat. This new team will add to the level of experience and institutional knowledge in the Ukrainian government that his previous cadre lacked. But bringing back those who served under Ukraine's previous political system also risks bringing back those tied to the oligarchs.
Challenges Ahead
The new Cabinet will now be tasked with the tall order of rebuilding confidence in the Ukrainian government, which will force Zelenskiy to balance his reform agenda against the new personalities grounded in a previous era of Ukrainian politics. Since taking office in May, Ukraine's young president has been locked in competition with various competing factions of oligarchs within Ukraine who've resisted Zelenskiy's attempts to usher in a new political culture. While this new Cabinet is by no means a capitulation in that struggle, it could portend a tempering of Zelenskiy's reform agenda and a shift back into older styles of policymaking in an effort to regain trust in his government. On the international stage, the new defense and foreign ministers, in particular, will also play a critical role in the development of Kyiv's relations with Russia as a new standoff over the diplomatic resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine looms.
