Zelenskyy appoints former defense minister as head of National Security Council

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that he appointed former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to head Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.

Zelenskyy said on Telegram that he had tasked Umerov with continuing working with partners on arms agreements and intensifying preparations for the third round of peace talks with Russia in Istanbul.

"We must fully implement every agreement with our partners on the supply of weapons, as well as new special agreements on the creation of joint production facilities and the construction of factories on the territory of partners," he said.

The second priority involves assessing the progress of council decisions, accelerating delayed implementation, and significantly enhancing the technological development framework, Zelenskyy said.

"The third is to activate the negotiation track. The agreements of the second meeting in Istanbul are currently being implemented. More dynamics are needed in this process," he said.

Ukraine's parliament voted Thursday to approve Yulia Svyrydenko’s appointment as prime minister along with her government, in Ukraine’s largest Cabinet reshuffle since the start of the war in February 2022. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha kept his post while Denys Shmyhal, Svyrydenko's predecessor, was appointed defense minister.

Shmyhal, Ukraine's longest-serving prime minister, and his Cabinet's resignation were approved by parliament on Wednesday.