Zelenskyy names Umerov for foreign intelligence, Klymenko for NSDC

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Rustem Umerov will be appointed head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, while former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko will become secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Zelenskyy announced the planned changes during an address to the annual meeting of the heads of Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic missions, presenting the appointments as part of a broader reorganization of diplomacy, intelligence and domestic security coordination.

The announcement clarifies Umerov’s future role after Zelenskyy previously said he would leave the position of NSDC secretary but continue working on international negotiations, defense partnerships and cooperation between Ukrainian and allied intelligence services. Klymenko was offered the NSDC post on July 17, with the president saying that an appointment decree was being prepared.

Umerov set to lead the Foreign Intelligence Service

Umerov is expected to move from the National Security and Defense Council, commonly known by its English abbreviation NSDC, to the leadership of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

Zelenskyy said the appointment would give Umerov broader institutional authority to work simultaneously on diplomacy, defense cooperation and international negotiations.

Umerov has served as NSDC secretary since July 2025, after previously heading Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. In that role, he became one of Kyiv’s principal representatives in negotiations involving the United States, European partners and Russia.

Ukraine’s official records currently list Oleh Luhovskyi as acting head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Zelenskyy placed Luhovskyi in temporary charge through a decree dated Feb. 4, 2026. A new presidential decree will therefore be required to formally transfer leadership of the service to Umerov.

The Foreign Intelligence Service is responsible for collecting and analyzing intelligence outside Ukraine, identifying external threats and supporting national decision-making in security and foreign policy.

Diplomatic negotiations will remain part of Umerov’s work

Zelenskyy indicated that Umerov’s appointment would not remove him from Ukraine’s diplomatic and defense negotiations.

The president said Umerov would continue working with the United States and other partners while developing relations between Ukraine’s intelligence community and foreign services.

Umerov has been closely involved in discussions on prisoner exchanges, defense production, security assistance and possible formats for negotiations aimed at ending the war. Earlier in 2026, he led or participated in Ukrainian delegations holding talks with American and other international representatives.

Zelenskyy had previously said Umerov would focus on communication with partners, negotiations, international security cooperation and coordination between intelligence communities, even after leaving the position of NSDC secretary.

Placing him at the Foreign Intelligence Service would connect those diplomatic responsibilities more directly with intelligence assessments and security cooperation.

Drone Deals will remain a priority

Zelenskyy said Umerov would also coordinate work connected with Ukraine’s Drone Deals initiative.

The program combines Ukrainian battlefield experience and defense technology with partner countries’ financing, industrial capacity, research and access to international markets.

Ukraine had signed nine agreements under the Drone Deal framework by July 7, while negotiations with about 20 additional countries were at different stages, according to the Ukrainian presidency.

The agreements can include joint weapons production, technology transfer, cybersecurity cooperation, protection of critical infrastructure, intelligence exchange and investment in Ukraine’s defense industry.

Ukraine’s presidency has described the arrangement as a long-term cooperation model rather than a conventional arms sale. The framework is intended to allow Ukrainian companies to develop production abroad while directing financing and technology back into the country’s defense sector.

Umerov has already been involved in talks on Drone Deals, including discussions with U.S. and NATO representatives about joint production and the possible localization of Patriot missile manufacturing in Ukraine.

Klymenko to take over NSDC coordination

Klymenko is expected to replace Umerov as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Zelenskyy first publicly offered Klymenko the position on July 17, saying his main responsibility would be to improve coordination among Ukraine’s defense, security and law enforcement institutions.

The president said decisions adopted by the NSDC and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff must be implemented fully and within the required deadlines.

Klymenko served as Ukraine’s interior minister from February 2023 until the government changes of July 2026. Before entering the Cabinet, he headed the National Police and had spent much of his career in the country’s law enforcement system.

Zelenskyy said Klymenko’s experience would be used to strengthen coordination between the government, police, emergency services, border guards, National Guard and other institutions responsible for domestic security.

NSDC to focus more on domestic resilience

Under Klymenko, the NSDC is expected to become more active in matters involving the resilience of regions and local communities.

The council’s priorities are expected to include protecting critical infrastructure, coordinating security bodies, countering Russian cyber threats and disrupting criminal networks that may undermine the state during wartime.

Zelenskyy previously said Klymenko’s experience in the Interior Ministry system would help expand the NSDC’s domestic security role and improve cooperation among defense and law enforcement agencies.

The NSDC is a constitutional coordination body chaired by the president. It brings together senior officials responsible for national defense, foreign policy, internal security, the economy and other strategic areas.

Its decisions take effect after being enacted by presidential decree. The secretary manages the council’s administrative work and follows the implementation of decisions across government institutions.

The planned division of responsibilities would place international negotiations, intelligence cooperation and Drone Deals primarily under Umerov, while Klymenko would oversee domestic security coordination and implementation.

Presidential decrees will formalize the reshuffle

The appointments require presidential decrees before they become legally effective.

At the time the changes were being prepared, official records continued to identify Umerov as NSDC secretary and Luhovskyi as acting head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Zelenskyy had already instructed officials to prepare decrees appointing Klymenko and redefining Umerov’s role after planned meetings in the United States. The latest announcement identifies the Foreign Intelligence Service as Umerov’s intended destination.

Once published, the decrees are expected to end Umerov’s term as NSDC secretary, appoint Klymenko to the council and place Umerov in charge of foreign intelligence.

The reshuffle represents a redistribution of responsibilities across Ukraine’s wartime security leadership: international diplomacy and intelligence cooperation would be concentrated under Umerov, while domestic resilience and institutional coordination would fall under Klymenko.

WiseNewsPress.com