In the modern Ukrainian communicative space, speech culture and rhetoric appear as interconnected components that determine the quality, effectiveness, and ethicality of public expression.The rhetorical tradition, integrated with the norms of speech culture, is a powerful tool for influencing the audience's consciousness and emotions, contributing to the effective achievement of communicative goals in various spheres of social life.The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive examination of the relationship between speech culture and rhetorical practice, to define their common and distinctive features, to analyze the rhetorical aspects of speech culture, and to outline the problems and prospects for the development of rhetorical culture in contemporary Ukraine.An interdisciplinary approach combining descriptive, comparative, linguostylistic, and discourse-analytical methods was employed.The study established that speech culture forms the foundation of rhetoric, ensuring adherence to linguistic norms, logicality, structure, expressiveness, and communicative appropriateness of utterances.It was revealed that the rhetorical aspects of speech culture -harmonious combination of form and content, adaptation to the addressee and situation, and the ability to persuade through linguistic means -are key factors in communication effectiveness.The spheres of speech culture implementation were outlined: education, political discourse, journalism, blogging, social networks, legal, pedagogical, and business communication.Attention was drawn to the phenomena of simplification, democratization, and hybridization of styles in modern public speech.A number of problems were identified: the spread of surzhyk (mixed Ukrainian-Russian speech), vulgarization of language, communication standardization, and the decline of ethical standards in public discourse.The conclusions emphasize that the effective development of rhetorical culture in Ukraine is possible through the combination of systematic language education, preservation and adaptation of rhetorical tradition, cultivation of critical thinking, and enhancement of communication ethics.Speech culture, as a component of rhetoric, should be regarded not only as linguistic competence but also as a sociocultural tool influencing the democratization of society, national identity, and the quality of public discourse.