Kyiv [Ukraine], January 3 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (local time) appointed military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff amid the crucial peace talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed towards ending four-year-long war.

Announcing the decision on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs sharper focus on security, defence preparedness and negotiations as efforts continue to end the nearly four-year-long conflict.

'Ukraine needs greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defence and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations, and the Office of the President will primarily serve the fulfilment of these tasks of our state,' Zelenskyy said.

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'Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to deliver results.I also instructed the new Head of the Office of the President, in cooperation with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and other relevant leaders and institutions, to update and submit for approval the strategic foundations of our state's defense and development, as well as the subsequent steps,' Zelenskyy further added.

The appointment comes at a sensitive time, days after Zelenskyy said that the 20 point peace plan aimed at ending the conflict was '90 per cent' ready.

Budanov, 39, has been serving as the head of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) since August 2020. He is widely credited with overseeing several high-risk intelligence and military operations against Russian forces since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Al Jazeera reported.

A career military intelligence officer, Budanov rose through Ukraine's defence ranks after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since the war began, he has become one of Kyiv's most recognisable security figures, frequently briefing the public and issuing warnings about Russia's long-term plans for Ukraine and the region.

Reacting to his new role, Budanov said he had accepted the responsibility and would continue to serve the country.

'It is an honour and a responsibility for me to focus on critically important issues of strategic security for our state at this historic time for Ukraine,' he said in a post on Telegram, Al Jazeera reported.

Zelenskyy also announced that Oleh Ivashchenko, the current chief of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, will replace Budanov as head of the GUR. (ANI)