Servant of the People MPs frustrated with PM Svyrydenko but not planning to remove her

On April 19, Svyrydenko said the government had agreed with the International Monetary Fund that raising VAT for individual entrepreneurs is a sensitive issue, and Ukraine would look for alternative ways to fill the state budget together with its partners.

This statement became the latest flashpoint in the difficult process of passing new laws demanded by Kyiv’s international partners to continue financial support. It nearly caused a serious rift between the prime minister and the presidential faction.

The most problematic bills, according to Servant of the People MPs, were those on taxation of digital platforms (the so-called “OLX law”), extending the 5% military tax for three years after the war, and canceling VAT exemptions on imported parcels up to €150 ($176).

Two rounds of negotiations between Servant of the People representatives and Svyrydenko’s team, plus active intervention by faction leader David Arakhamia, were needed to unblock consideration of these documents.

Sources in the faction told NV that their main frustration stems from the premier’s perceived detachment from the process of coordinating difficult issues. “It is very difficult to communicate with Svyrydenko. She runs to Bankova ten times but never drops into the Verkhovna Rada,” one MP said off the record.

Despite the tensions, Servant of the People sources emphasized that the faction does not plan to initiate Svyrydenko’s dismissal.

“We could change the prime minister and then fail to elect anyone, because other groups and opposition factions would get involved — they are just waiting to be allowed into decision-making, including personnel decisions,” one senior Servant of the People member said. “We understand that she is staying, and we understand that we need to change the rules of work.”