Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees on Monday appointing Rustem Umerov to lead the Foreign Intelligence Service and naming former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council. Zelenskyy told ambassadors in Kyiv that Umerov will continue leading Ukraine's delegation in U.S.-mediated peace talks and coordinate new drone cooperation agreements with international partners. Umerov, who served as defence minister from 2023 to 2025 and has been security council secretary since July 2025, replaces acting chief Oleh Luhovskyi.
The moves follow a broader government overhaul that saw Serhiy Koretskyi replace Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister, becoming Ukraine's third premier since Russia's 2022 invasion. Zelenskyy appointed Yevhenii Khmara as acting defence minister after dismissing Mykhailo Fedorov, who had publicly clashed with military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over alleged cronyism and stalled reforms. Syrskyi was also removed following street protests.