Zelensky's Secret Weapon: How Ukraine's New PM Could Win Over Trump | World in 10
Let's dive into this fascinating and important discussion about Ukraine's new Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, and why she might be a "secret weapon" for President Zelensky—especially when it comes to dealing with the US and potentially Donald Trump. We'll also cover the heartbreaking issue of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and what's being done about it. Here's a detailed, chronological summary with all the key points, emphasized quotes, and important context. 🌍🇺🇦
1. Who is Yulia Svyrydenko?
Maxim Tucker introduces Svyrydenko as a reform-minded technocrat who's "never stood for election. She's never been an MP." She rose through the ranks by working in Zelensky's presidential office and as a regional governor. She's "widely respected by the international community, by diplomats, by civil society," and is seen as "a clean reformer, very business-minded, wants to make it easier for both international businesses and Ukrainian business to operate in Ukraine."
"She's won plaudits because she did this really tough negotiation with the Trump administration to get this critical minerals deal over the table and a joint investment fund with the US that should now start to bring revenue into Ukraine and possibly in exchange for weapons as well."
Key Points:
- Not a public figure: "She doesn't give very many media interviews and she doesn't have that kind of political clout that you might expect from a prime minister."
- Internationally respected: Her reputation is strong abroad, even if she's less known at home.
2. Ukraine's Political System: President vs. Prime Minister
Ukraine is a parliamentary republic, but as Tucker explains:
"President Zelensky is the kind of de facto ruler of parliament as well. And that gives him enormous sway over who to select in his cabinet."
So, while the PM should be powerful, Zelensky's dominance means the role is "slightly reduced by the outside influence of President Zelensky."
3. Svyrydenko's Track Record: The US Minerals Deal
Svyrydenko's biggest achievement so far is her negotiation with the Trump administration:
"Every time they were confronted with a kind of impossible ask by the Trump administration, they didn't just say, 'No, that's unreasonable.' They said, 'Okay, if that's what you want, how is this going to work? Let's talk about the practicalities of it.'"
She and her team, including Alexi Sobolev (now Minister for the Economy) and Teras Kachka (Deputy PM), "hired a bunch of US investment lawyers who were specialists in this area" and worked through the technical details to make the deal work for both sides.
Key Takeaway:
Her pragmatic, detail-oriented approach impressed both US and Ukrainian sides, and the deal is expected to bring in revenue and possibly weapons.
4. Why Did Zelensky Pick Her?
Tucker says:
"She's got that relationship with the US and I think he really wants to build on that and kind of try and steady this incredible roller coaster of a relationship with the US at the moment as a key ally."
She's also "a fluent English speaker, very personable, very good humored, and very charming." Zelensky wants her to build on relationships with Europe as well.
"She won billions in pledges leading a delegation at the Ukraine recovery conference just the other week."
She's also negotiated to bring her own deputies into key posts, which could give her more autonomy—though it remains to be seen how much independence she'll really have.
5. How Is She Different from Previous PMs?
Her predecessor, Denys Shmyhal, was "a bit of a gray figure. No one knew very much about him. He didn't have much of a media profile." Svyrydenko, by contrast, "brings a bit more persona, a bit more personality to this role."
But she still lacks her own political base and hasn't been elected, so her domestic presence is uncertain.
6. What Does Her Appointment Signal About Ukraine's Strategy?
Three and a half years into the war, Svyrydenko's focus is on self-sufficiency:
"She talked very much about how important it is to make sure Ukraine is on a footing to become self-sustaining after the war ends and to start building up increased self-sustainability."
Her big idea: "Made in Ukraine is going to be something I think we talk about more and more."
But this is tough during war, as "Russians are still hitting production facilities… even very deep in the heart of western Ukraine."
International support remains crucial:
"All the kind of domestic tax revenue of the Ukrainian state is now spent on the military. So all tax revenue is going to salaries and weapons basically in Ukraine. And what they are relying on from international partners is all the rest of the budget."
Her reputation for clean governance is key to maintaining Western trust and support.
7. Concerns About Zelensky's Power
There are worries about concentration of power:
"Someone who came into office with such an overwhelming majority in parliament control of parliament and who is the president at the same time not having to face any elections. He's not really being held accountable in the typical way that you would have in democracy."
"The longer this war goes on for the more and more power is vested in Zelensky's hands both through martial law and the increased consolidation of control by his deputy Andriy Yermak."
Even with Svyrydenko as a "bright new figure," she's still closely tied to Zelensky's inner circle.
8. The Tragedy of Ukrainian Children Taken to Russia
The conversation shifts to the campaign to bring back Ukrainian children taken to Russia:
"It's one of the most horrifying stories I think we've heard this century. This stealing of Ukrainian children by Russian occupiers… spiriting them away across the border into Russia to separate them from their families and re-educate them as Russian patriots."
Some children have been returned—"only 1,399 children who have been returned out of a list of 20,000 Ukrainian children who the Russians are believed to hold." The true number may be much higher.
What happens to these children?
- Some were sent to "summer camps" in Crimea, then stranded.
- Others were taken from orphanages or families killed in the war.
- They are "forced to sing Russian songs," taught "Ukraine is not a state," and their identities are often changed.
"They basically try and sever their affiliation and their connections with Ukraine."
9. Russia's Motive: Indoctrination and Erasure
"The end game is very much to keep them in Russia and to keep them as this kind of next generation of hard-educated Russian patriots… people who believe in Russia as this great imperial nation and Ukraine as not a sovereign nation."
Children are moved, adopted, and renamed, making it "very difficult for Ukraine to find a lot of these children and to return them."
10. Ukraine's Campaign to Bring Kids Back
Led by Daria Herasymchuk from the presidential office, with support from First Lady Olena Zelenska and President Zelensky, the campaign is called "Bring Kids Back UA."
"They want to make sure that the return of these children is a key point to any peace deal. Like this is a non-negotiable point for Ukraine. You must return these children to their families, to their country."
Ukraine even tested Russia's willingness by asking for just 399 children as a goodwill gesture. Publicly, Russia denied having them; privately, they suggested swapping them for Russian prisoners of war.
"This is obviously abhorrent to the Ukrainians that you would consider swapping children who've been abducted for Russian prisoners of war and making them kind of bargaining chips."
11. US Support and International Response
The US, especially Senator Marco Rubio, has been supportive:
"When the US and Ukrainian delegations met in Saudi Arabia after that very difficult tense meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office, Marco Rubio was the one to bring up this issue."
The US was "equally shocked that the Russians would consider swapping prisoners of war soldiers for children who'd been taken away from their families."
This issue has helped show the US "the true nature of the regime, the Russian regime, and their lack of willingness to engage seriously in peace talks."
12. The Human Cost: Stories from Families
Tucker shares the devastation of families:
"It's devastating. These people are desperate to find a way to return their children, desperate to find a way to find them in Russia before they're kind of relocated."
"I've been with families in the process of trying to search for those children… sometimes they find a child that's similar somewhere in Russia and there's this kind of little bit of hope and then they find out it's not the child or they're not able to bring them back."
Some family members risk their lives to try to retrieve children, facing interrogation and even death:
"There was one grandmother who even died from the stress. She had a heart attack after a 10-hour interrogation by the FSB."
13. Will Putin Face Consequences?
There are international efforts to hold Russia accountable, like the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Putin. But:
"The US withdrew from that under Donald Trump. Actually the US seems less interested in investigating Russian war crimes because it's more interested in pursuing peace and it sees those as a sticking point to it."
Trump has given Russia a "50-day reprieve" from new sanctions, which "doesn't send a strong message to anyone that Putin will be held to account for what he's done."
14. Final Thoughts
The video ends on a somber note, emphasizing the importance of these issues and the ongoing trauma for Ukrainian families.
"It's heartbreaking, but thank you. It's very important."
Key Takeaways
- Yulia Svyrydenko is a respected, reform-minded technocrat with a strong international reputation, especially in the US.
- Her negotiation skills and clean image are seen as vital for Ukraine's future, especially in maintaining Western support.
- Zelensky's power is growing, raising concerns about democratic accountability during wartime.
- The abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia is a massive, ongoing tragedy and a key issue in peace negotiations.
- The US has been supportive on the child abduction issue, but broader accountability for Russia remains uncertain.
- The human cost of the war is immense, with families suffering deeply from the loss and uncertainty of their children.
This video is a powerful reminder of the complex, high-stakes politics in Ukraine—and the very real human stories at the heart of the conflict. 💔🇺🇦
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