Yulia Svyrydenko was made Ukraine's new prime minister and Olga Stefanishyna got the plum role of U.S. ambassador (after Republican resistance in Washington helped push out her predecessor), while many of their colleagues were reassigned to new posts as the national parliament voted through the changes Thursday afternoon.

The President had a decade-long bromance with his Russian counterpart and is thankfully changing tack, writes Michael McFaul.