Overview
- Zelensky is interviewing candidates to head his office after Andriy Yermak’s exit, with The Economist reporting military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov as a leading option alongside Mykhailo Fedorov, Denis Shmygal and Pavel Palisa.
- Yermak resigned and was dismissed following Nov. 28 searches by Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAP, triggering a broader personnel reshuffle in Kyiv.
- President Trump said Dec. 9 was the right moment for Ukrainian elections, while Zelensky replied he is ready only with legislative changes and security measures that allow service members to vote.
- Crimean and Russian officials condemned Zelensky’s suggestion of a nationwide referendum on territorial issues, calling it a farce and a tactic to buy time.
- Party and cabinet moves are in play, with an MP saying Alexander Kornienko could lead Servant of the People at a Dec. 17 congress and another MP naming Serhii Kyslytsia as a possible foreign minister with Andriy Sybiha heading to Poland.