President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Serhiy Kyslytsia as First Deputy Head of the Office of the President, according to a presidential decree.
“To appoint Serhiy Olehovych Kyslytsia as First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” the decree states.
Kyslytsia’s new appointment became known on Jan. 3, when Zelensky met with the diplomat to announce his decision.
According to Zelensky, Kyslytsia will continue to take part in the negotiation process alongside his new duties.
Kyslytsia has served as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine since February 2025.
Prior to that, he was Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from February 2020 to December 2024, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2014 to February 2020.
In addition, Zelensky appointed Chrystia Freeland as an advisor on economic development. Freeland is a Canadian politician, former journalist, editor, and writer, and has been a member of Canada’s House of Commons for the Liberal Party since 2013.
Zelensky said on January 2 that he had offered Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the position of Head of the Office of the President, ending weeks of uncertainty over who would replace Andriy Yermak.
Budanov, who turned 40 on January 4, has led Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) since 2020. He previously served in the Donbas during the early phase of Russia’s invasion in 2014.
Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said Ukraine needs “greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations,” adding that these priorities will guide the work of the Presidential Office going forward.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to deliver results,” Zelensky said, noting that he had already instructed Budanov, in coordination with other institutions, to prepare an updated strategy document for Ukraine’s defense and development.
Zelensky announced on November 28 that Yermak had resigned following a raid on his home by anti-corruption authorities. The raid was widely linked to an investigation into an alleged $100 million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector, which had already led to the resignations of the energy and justice ministers.
The head of the Presidential Office wields significant influence, particularly while Ukraine remains under martial law.
Budanov had been named among possible replacements in early December, alongside Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, then Deputy Foreign Minister Kyslytsia, and Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Presidential Office and former commander of the 93rd Brigade.
Budanov accepted the offer.
“I continue to serve Ukraine. I consider the position of Head of the Office of the President as another milestone of responsibility to the country,” he wrote on Telegram. “For me, it is an honor and a responsibility - at a historic time for Ukraine - to focus on critically important issues of the strategic security of our state.”