Umerov to Lead Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence While Retaining Chief Peace Negotiator Role

Ukraine’s newly appointed foreign intelligence chief, Rustem Umerov, has laid out an ambitious agenda to expand Kyiv’s global security partnerships, strengthen intelligence cooperation and advance cutting-edge defense programs designed to counter Russia’s military advantage. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Umerov to lead the Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) on Monday, moving him from his previous post as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the Ukrainian president, Umerov will also remain Ukraine’s chief negotiator in US-backed efforts to end Russia’s war, giving him an unusually broad portfolio spanning intelligence, diplomacy and defense technology. In his Monday evening address, Zelensky confirmed the dual mandate, saying Umerov’s appointment to the Foreign Intelligence Service would give him “greater capacity to deal with these issues simultaneously.” Thanking Zelensky for his trust, Umerov said the SZRU has the potential to become “an even stronger instrument” for defending Ukraine’s national interests. Expanding global networks A central pillar of Umerov’s agenda will be expanding the extensive network Kyiv has built with the US, Britain, Norway, EU states, Turkey, the Middle East and Gulf countries, and the South Caucasus. The geographic reach underscores Ukraine’s effort to counter Russian influence far beyond Europe. Other Topics of Interest Zaluzhny: ‘Ukraine Will Never Join NATO’ Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK urged Kyiv to pursue other security alliances, including the UK-led JEF coalition. “This is a strong foundation for the further development of security, intelligence and defense cooperation,” Umerov wrote on social media. Drone Deals and ‘FREYJA’ to remain priorities Umerov specifically identified international Drone Deals and Ukraine’s FREYJA anti-ballistic program among the strategic projects he will continue advancing. The assignment was taking shape even before Monday’s appointment. On July 24, Zelensky said Umerov would focus on partner negotiations, intelligence cooperation, Drone Deals and FREYJA. The FREYJA program has taken on growing urgency as Russia intensifies ballistic missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and Kyiv struggles with limited supplies of US-made Patriot interceptors. Eight partner countries have already joined the initiative. The project has become even more significant amid uncertainty over whether Washington will permit Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors domestically after US President Donald Trump backed away from earlier suggestions that a production license had already been agreed. For Kyiv, FREYJA offers a crucial path toward reducing dependence on American interceptor stocks while building a European-Ukrainian shield against Russia’s ballistic arsenal. It remains unclear how Umerov’s mandate over international “Drone Deals” will interface with the domestic procurement system built under now-ousted Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Six months of shuttle diplomacy Umerov’s move to foreign intelligence follows six months in which he increasingly served as one of Zelensky’s principal troubleshooters on sensitive international assignments. As NSDC secretary and head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, Umerov became a central Ukrainian figure in US-mediated diplomacy with Russia. He participated in the January talks in the UAE, where Ukrainian, American and Russian delegations discussed parameters for ending the war. In May, Umerov traveled to Miami for meetings with US representatives as peace negotiations remained stalled. Zelensky tasked him with discussing potential prisoner exchanges and efforts to advance diplomacy. Third top national-security role for Umerov The intelligence appointment gives Umerov his third major national-security leadership role since 2023. He served as defense minister from September 2023 until July 2025 before Zelensky moved him to lead the NSDC. He subsequently became Ukraine’s chief negotiator and one of Kyiv’s principal interlocutors with Washington. Klymenko takes over the NSDC Umerov’s move opened the way for former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko to take over as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. Klymenko had been left outside the Cabinet following July’s government reshuffle and was initially considered for the Defense Ministry after Fedorov’s dismissal. Zelensky ultimately turned instead to Yevhenii Khmara, the former commander of the SBU’s elite Alpha unit, who is now serving as acting defense minister. Sevinj Osmanqizi is an experienced journalist who writes extensively for Kyiv Post on foreign policy, international security and geopolitics. Based in Washington, D.C., her work focuses on Ukraine, Russia’s war and the broader post-Soviet space.