Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed decrees appointing Rustem Umerov as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service and Ihor Klimenko as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
- Zelensky framed Umerov’s role as focused on external diplomacy, cooperation with partners such as the United States, security program management and channels for negotiations to end the war.
- The Office of the President said Klimenko will concentrate on strengthening internal security and improving coordination between Ukraine’s security forces.
- Reports note that the formal timing and full operational details of Umerov’s new assignment were not specified, and Zelensky asked diplomats to back Umerov’s work on the 'Drone Deal' format.
- Umerov’s appointment builds on his recent record as a former defence minister and a past RNBO secretary and signals an effort to centralize Ukraine’s external security diplomacy in a single senior official.