Zelensky decides to appoint Budanov as head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
2 January 14:27
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered the head of the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, to head the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy announced this on Facebook, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“I met with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him to head the Office of the President of Ukraine. Now Ukraine needs to focus more on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, and the Office of the President will serve primarily to fulfill these tasks of our state.
Zelenskyy noted that Budanov has special experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results.
“I also instructed the new head of the President’s Office, in cooperation with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and other necessary leaders and institutions, to update and submit for approval the strategic framework for the defense and development of our state and further steps,” the Ukrainian president said in a statement.
What preceded it
On Tuesday, December 30, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had decided on the candidate for the new head of the Presidential Office.
Until now, the Office of the President had been without a head. According to media reports, this is due to the search for a new format for the Office, which will largely depend on the candidacy of the future head.
Yermak’s resignation
As a reminder, on November 28, 2025, the NABU and the SAPO conducted searches at the then head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. According to media reports, the investigative actions were related to the Midas operation to expose large-scale corruption in the energy sector, which NABU announced in November 2025.
Immediately after the searches, Yermak wrote a letter of resignation, which Zelenskyy signed and later told reporters that the appointment of a new head of the Presidential Office was not currently a priority for the government.
The New York Post reported the next day that Yermak had decided to go to the front. Later, after his dismissal, he visited Bankova Street again to talk to the President of Ukraine.
