Desk : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Kirill Budanov as the new Chief of Staff of his office. This step has been taken amidst the need to pay more attention to security, defense and diplomatic talks.
The appointment comes a month after Zelensky ousted former chief of staff Andriy Yermak over a corruption scandal. The scandal involved allegations that efforts were made to extort approximately $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector, in which a close former business associate of Zelensky was involved.
“I met with Kirill Budanov and offered him the role of head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. At this time, we need to focus more on national security and defense priorities, and the Office of the President will help accomplish these tasks,” Zelensky said in a post.
Accepting this appointment, Kirill Budanov said, “This is an important moment for the strategic security of our country. I am proud that I have got the opportunity to fulfill this responsibility.” Budanov further said that his main focus will be on the security and defense of Ukraine and that he will continue to work for the defense and peace of Ukraine.
Kirill Budanov, a 39-year-old former reserved special forces officer, has been the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine since 2020. He has also negotiated a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia and has gained considerable public recognition in Ukraine. He has also been ranked higher than Zelensky in public trust surveys several times.
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