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Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s negotiator with Russia and the U.S., to head Foreign Intelligence Service

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to name Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ukrainian news outlets Ukrainska Pravda and RBC-Ukraine reported, citing sources.

Zelensky confirmed the move himself soon after. Umerov, he said, will continue to “coordinate a number of key areas,” including cooperation with the U.S. and other partners, defense and diplomacy issues, the negotiations to end the war with Russia, and the drone sector.

Zelensky announced the change at the NSDC secretary’s post on July 17, proposing that former Internal Affairs Ministry head Ihor Klymenko take over the role. Ukrainian media had reported Umerov as a contender for the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S.

Update: Zelensky has officially appointed Umerov as head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service and Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Umerov became head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) in July 2025. As the council’s secretary, he served as Ukraine’s chief representative in negotiations with the U.S. and Russia, among other duties.

Before that, Umerov served as Ukraine’s defense minister, a post that put him at the center of one of Ukraine’s most high-profile corruption cases in recent years, the “Energoatom” case. He was questioned as a witness in that case.

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