KYIV, July 17: Ukraine’s economy minister and the key negotiator in the mineral deal with the US, Yuliia Svyrydenko, has been appointed as new prime minister, becoming its first new head of government since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

  Svyrydenko is one of a group of officials taking on new roles in Ukraine’s government, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffles the Cabinet in a bid to energize a war-weary nation and boost domestic weapons production in the face of Russia’s grinding invasion.

At home, however, the Cabinet recalibration has not been seen as a major shift, as the Ukrainian leader continues to rely on officials who have proven their effectiveness and loyalty during the war, now in its fourth year. (AP)