Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday and offered her the position of prime minister and asked her to significantly revamp the government.
“I had a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. There was a report on the implementation of agreements with European and American partners on support for Ukraine, which were reached at the recent conference on Ukraine’s recovery. We must implement as quickly as possible everything that can support the stability of our state and society,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Monday.
According to him, during the meeting with Svyrydenko, they discussed “specific measures that could strengthen Ukraine’s economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our own weapons production.”
The president noted that to this end, we are beginning to transform the executive branch in Ukraine. “I have offered Yulia Svyrydenko to head the Ukrainian government and significantly revamp its work. I look forward to the new government’s action plan in the near future,” he wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the importance of productive meetings of the Verkhovna Rada next week in his evening address on Saturday.
“A law on multiple citizenship has already been passed, and this is an important issue, particularly for those who are fighting for Ukraine. I am eagerly awaiting the unblocking of this law so that it can be signed without delay,” the head of state said.
He also said that two significant decisions on international agreements had been prepared: “First of all, the agreement on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Russian Aggression must be ratified, and it is also worth supporting our country’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on Landmines. Russia has never been a party to this convention and actively uses all types of mines. We in Ukraine need parity in defense — in particular, the political and legal foundations for such parity,” Zelensky explained.
In addition, “a bill on a military ombudsman has already been prepared for its second reading, and this new systemic step is necessary to implement the necessary changes in the army. I will be grateful to the people’s deputies who support these and other decisions that are extremely important for our state this week,” Zelensky added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 200 deals are being prepared for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which is taking place in Rome on July 10-11 (URC2025) for a total amount of EUR10 bln.
“More than 500 companies are represented here at the conference. About 200 deals are ready to be signed with a total value of more than EUR10 billion. All of these should be fully realized. And please, let’s also focus on energy,” Zelensky said at the plenary session of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome (URC2025) on Thursday.
Oksana Markarova will be recalled from Washington as part of measures to strengthen relations with Trump’s team.
Volodymyr Zelensky is replacing Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, who has been heavily criticized by leading Republicans, as part of a diplomatic reshuffle aimed at strengthening relations with the Trump administration.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga confirmed on Wednesday that Oksana Markarova will be recalled from Washington after four years in the post. He described her as “extremely effective, charismatic and one of our most successful ambassadors.”
He indicated that several high-ranking ambassadors in G7 and G20 countries would also be transferred, telling Ukrainian radio: “Every diplomat has a rotation cycle.”
The diplomatic reshuffle comes at a critical moment in the war. Russian troops are advancing on a 600-kilometer front, and their pace has accelerated in recent weeks. A Kremlin spokesman said, “We are advancing.”
Russian combat units have approached the crossing into the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time.
Late on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Russia launched its largest air strike since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It involved a record number of 728 Shahed drones, as well as 13 cruise and ballistic missiles. Most of them were shot down.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson is among the Republican figures who have criticized Markarova, accusing her of supporting the Democratic Party and its candidate Kamala Harris ahead of last November’s presidential election.
In February, she was photographed with her head in her hands during Vladimir Zelensky’s disastrous meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
After Zelensky visited a shell factory in Pennsylvania last September, calls for her resignation were heard.
Markarova organized the visit and did not invite a single Republican, Johnson said at the time.
Ukrainian officials deny any bias, but acknowledge that the ambassador previously had a good relationship with the Biden administration and was close to Victoria Nuland, then deputy secretary of state for political affairs.
Zelensky and Trump discussed Markarova’s resignation during a phone call last Friday, which the Ukrainian president called the most constructive to date.
On Tuesday, Trump expressed growing dissatisfaction with Vladimir Putin and announced the resumption of US arms deliveries to Kyiv. His statement followed a week-long pause, apparently ordered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hageett.
The shipment includes Patriot interceptor missiles and other high-precision weapons. It is unclear how many units will be transferred. The American news site Axios reported that 10 missiles will be delivered — a negligible amount at a time when Moscow has sharply intensified its bombing of Ukrainian cities.
The night raid targeted the northwestern city of Lutsk. At least six civilians were killed and 39 wounded in several other regions of the country, including Kharkiv and Donetsk in the northeast and east, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
According to local authorities, a one-year-old boy named Dmitry was killed in the village of Pravdino in the Kherson region when Russians struck his home with drones. The boy lived with his great-grandmother.
One of the possible successors to Markarova in Washington is Igor Zhovka, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s administration.
Zhovka’s immediate superior is Andriy Yermak, whom many consider the most influential person in Ukrainian politics after Zelensky.
Other candidates include Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Olga Stefanishyna, who is Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice.
There is growing optimism in Kyiv that Trump’s shift toward Russia earlier this year has been halted, if not completely reversed. One former Ukrainian official attributed this transformation to Jonathan Powell, Britain’s national security adviser and an experienced negotiator.
Powell played an important role in mending Zelensky’s tense relationship with Washington after the Oval Office incident.
He advised the Ukrainian government to avoid confrontation with the US president and take his words at face value.
According to the official, this approach, known as “strategic patience,” has begun to bear fruit.
Zelensky agreed to US proposals for a 30-day ceasefire, repeatedly praised Trump’s leadership, and signed an agreement giving American investors access to Ukraine’s valuable natural resources.
On Wednesday, he met with Pope Francis in Rome ahead of a two-day international conference organized to help Ukraine with post-war reconstruction. Zelensky said they discussed the return of Ukrainian children and civilians abducted by Russia, as well as the Vatican’s offer to facilitate peace talks.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will attend the conference. During a recent phone call with Trump, Merz reportedly offered to buy Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems from the US and send them to Ukraine.
Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will also arrive in Rome, where he is likely to hold talks on arms supplies with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić arrived in Odessa to participate in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit. This is his first visit to Ukraine in 12 years in office.
The event, organized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was attended by leaders from 12 countries in the region. After the official talks, Vucic and Zelensky held a private meeting.
During the discussion, they discussed assistance in rebuilding Ukraine after the destruction caused by Russian missile and drone strikes. Vucic also expressed Serbia’s readiness to contribute to the restoration of infrastructure, stressing the importance of restoring regional balance and stability.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1065
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić intends to pay an official visit to Ukraine in the near future, according to Serbian and Ukrainian sources. The main purpose of the trip will be to participate in high-level events in Kyiv and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Key expectations from the visit:
Bilateral meeting with Zelensky The agenda will focus on discussing the current geopolitical situation, prospects for European integration, humanitarian cooperation, and regional stability issues. The visit is seen as a step toward deepening political dialogue between the countries.
Participation in an international conference
Vucic is expected to participate in a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, where Serbia may present initiatives in the areas of humanitarian aid, infrastructure cooperation, and education.
Context and significance of the visit:
• Policy of neutrality Although Serbia has not joined the sanctions against Russia, the country continues to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and participate in providing humanitarian aid. This visit could strengthen Belgrade’s international position as a constructive mediator in European politics.
• Deepening the European course According to analysts, the upcoming visit is also linked to Serbia’s course towards rapprochement with the EU. It can be seen as a diplomatic signal of Belgrade’s commitment to European values, especially ahead of important decisions on the future expansion of the union.
Possible consequences:
Serbia – Ukraine
The visit could give new impetus to relations, especially in the humanitarian sphere and education.
Serbia – EU
This will be a symbolic confirmation of the European vector, strengthening trust on the part of Brussels.
Serbia’s domestic policy
Vučić is demonstrating a balance between Eastern and Western partners, which could strengthen his position within the country.
Belgrade. June 10. SERBIAN ECONOMIST
