The first meeting of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council since the dismissal of Secretary Oleksiy Danilov was held on March 29, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky said “renewed work” was underway and five priorities had been set for the body, primarily a better ability to predict factors “on which the national security of our state depends.”
The National Security and Defense Council is a body that coordinates and controls the activities of executive authorities in the field of Ukraine's national security and defense, and its decisions are enacted by presidential decrees.
On March 26, Danilov was dismissed as secretary after serving in the position since Oct. 3, 2019. He was replaced by the chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleksandr Lytvynenko.
Zelensky said the body’s priorities would be “paying particular attention to our state's sanctions policy.” Cybersecurity and the implementation of security and war related decisions were also listed.
"The obvious priority is the defense of our state and the protection of our society," Zelensky said.
Read also: Ukraine dismisses security council secretary Danilov
Zelensky thanked Danilov for his years of “powerful and professional” work and said Danilov would continue his work in the diplomatic field.
A number of top officials dismissed from their posts have been appointed to serve as Ukraine’s ambassadors abroad.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the country’s former commander-in-chief, has been appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K., Ukraine's Foreign Ministry announced on March 7.
