Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Rustem Umerov as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and Igor Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
The decrees on both appointments were published on the Ukrainian president's website.
Umerov is the chief Ukrainian negotiator to end the war with Russia, and Klymenko is a former Minister of Internal Affairs.
Ukrinform reported yesterday that the main tasks that Zelensky set for Umerov include continuing negotiations to end the war, achieving progress in cooperation on the production and supply of drones with Ukrainian partners, as well as on the missile defense program „Freya“.
The new appointments are the latest in an ongoing reorganization in Kiev, which also included the controversial replacement of the defense minister, Reuters notes.
Zelensky said that Umerov, who was appointed intelligence chief after previously serving as chairman of the Security Advisory Council, would continue to lead peace talks and seek a diplomatic solution to the war with Russia.
Zelensky is reassigning senior officials to key positions as part of a sudden cabinet reshuffle that began last month.
The changes included the removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Zelensky subsequently came under strong public pressure and was forced to replace the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, General Oleksandr Syrsky, with Major General Mykhailo Draped.
The removal of 35-year-old Fedorov, who advocates high-tech methods of warfare using drones, has sparked a storm of criticism. His supporters have taken to the streets demanding that he be reinstated as defense minister.
Many see Zelensky's personnel changes as insufficiently well-explained. The Ukrainian president gave almost no reasons for the new appointments today, Reuters notes.
Klimenko was mentioned as a possible candidate for defense minister, but ultimately did not get the post.
Zelensky's critics accuse him of rotating representatives of the same small circle of his allies in high positions. The Ukrainian president said the restructuring was aimed at better preparing for another harsh winter in light of expected massive Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy system, the agency added.
Umerov, who served as defense minister from 2023 to 2025, is leading the Ukrainian delegation in peace talks that have so far yielded little in the way of tangible results. Umerov is also coordinating negotiations on drone deals that promote Ukraine's battle-tested technology.