Danylyuk appointed National Security and Defense Council secretary

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree on May
28 appointing Oleksandr Danylyuk as secretary of the National Security and
Defense Council. Danylyuk built his career in investment banking, having worked
for Alfa Capital, the Western NIS Enterprise Fund and McKinsey & Co. He
served as a non-staff adviser to former President Yanukovych, and as finance
minister between April 2016 and June 2018.

Zelenskiy made other appointments that day, including
lawyer Oleksiy Honcharuk as deputy head at the Presidential Administration, and
Oleg Ustenko as a non-staff adviser. An economist, Ustenko served as the
executive director of The Bleyzer Foundation since 2004, closely monitoring
Ukraine’s economic and financial activity.

Zenon Zawada: Danylyuk is
no different from his predecessors in having minimal military or national security
experience, which we don’t see as a problem. Moreover, he is a relatively
independent figure with a clean record, with no apparent ties to corruption.
With the exception of his indirect links to billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky
(through the Zelenskiy campaign), Danylyuk has no direct ties to any Ukrainian
oligarch or business clan, unlike his predecessors. So we expect this body will
be among the most reliable and effective for Zelenskiy.