Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that ongoing staff changes in the government and presidential administration are rotations, not dismissals, as Kyiv prepares for both intensified diplomacy and the possibility of a prolonged war.
“There are no dismissals. These are rotation steps,” Zelensky told reporters during a briefing in Kyiv, responding to questions about potential changes in the defense and security leadership.
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Zelensky confirmed major changes within the Office of the President aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating capacity. He acknowledged that the head of HUR, Ukraine’s military defense intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, became head of the Office of the President on Jan.2, while Serhii Kyslytsia, currently first deputy foreign minister, will be dismissed from that post and appointed first deputy head of the presidential office.
Budanov, who will turn 40 on Jan. 4, has been head of HUR since 2020. Previously, he served in the Donbas region when Russia first launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Zelensky said the negotiating team will be fully based inside the presidential building, creating two coordinated tracks: a negotiation track under the president’s leadership and a military track.
“I am strengthening the negotiation team. That is what I am doing,” he said.
Asked about other security officials, including Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the SBU – Ukraine’s security service – Zelensky said he respects all officials and will carry out the rotations he has decided upon.
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Zelensky said he would not compare Mykhailo Fedorov who will taking over the position of Secretary of Defense from Denys Shmyhal, who will be handling energy, describing them as ‘absolutely different’ figures with distinct strengths.
“If the war continues, our army must very quickly become as technological as possible,” the president said. He noted Shmyhal’s strength in systemic governance and Fedorov’s speed in technological development, adding that both qualities fit Ukraine’s broader strategic needs.
Zelensky said Ukraine is operating on two parallel tracks: prioritizing an end to the war while simultaneously preparing for negative steps by Russia and a refusal to seek peace.
“I do not want to wait another six months hoping it might work or might not,” he said.
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Zelensky said the situation in Venezuela should serve as a clear signal from Washington, arguing that tolerance toward authoritarian leaders carries broader consequences.
“If this is acceptable with dictators, then the United States knows what it needs to do next,” Zelensky said, hinting that it might be time for the US to remove Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said European leaders will soon hold meetings focused on security guarantees and Ukraine’s reconstruction, with follow-up talks planned in Paris that will also include representatives of US President Donald Trump.
The meetings may last one or two days, he said, adding that Kyiv hopes to prepare for a broader leaders-level meeting involving the United States later this month.
“We would like all this to happen in January, by the end of January. These are our plans as of today,” Zelensky said.
He said discussions in Paris will focus on finalizing a document on security guarantees within the so-called Coalition of the Willing, which would later be ratified by participating countries’ parliaments.
“For us, the key task is to finalize the security guarantees document so it can become one of the foundations for discussions in the United States with President Trump,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky confirmed that meetings with the US team are planned in Paris but declined to provide details, saying official information should come from the White House.
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