President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially introduced the newly appointed Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov to the leadership of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the heads of relevant units.
Umerov replaces Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure Western military aid during the war.
In his speech at the introduction event, Zelenskyy stressed that the key priority of the Ukrainian defense forces is the Ukrainian warrior.
He added that if specific changes in the activities of the defense forces are required for their benefit and strength, they must be immediate everywhere.
“Everything that can be digitized should be digitized. Every bureaucratic procedure that can be canceled should be canceled. Every item that can save the lives and health of warriors must be found and supplied to the Ukrainian army. We need a new philosophy of treatment of Ukrainian warriors: people are not expendable. Their time and energy are the value of the state.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Also, Zelenskyy averred that the strategic role of the Defense Ministry and its real coordinating influence should be obvious to the society.
“The results of such work should obviously strengthen our ability to liberate Ukrainian land,” he noted.
Zelenskyy further stated that Ukraine needs the highest possible level of international coordination. This means organizing new regional coalitions as well as developing the already established formats of international cooperation.
Zelenskyy underscored the need for respectful, clear and timely communication with the families of warriors, including the families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Moreover, the Ukrainian President emphasized that the continuation of the war requires a new level of transparency, as Ukrainian warriors and society must trust the entire defense sector.
“Today, society is in a very difficult emotional situation. Maximum transparency and maximum trust are the key to the strength of the entire sector and this will be one of the priorities of the Minister.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The President urged the new head of the Defense Ministry to take quick concrete steps towards deep reform of the institution.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, “Today, I introduced Ukraine’s new Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov.”
Zelenskyy disclosed in the X post that Umerov’s tasks include cutting red tape, developing international cooperation, ensuring Ukraine completes its NATO accession homework, as well as scaling up the successes of specific units for all of the defense forces.
“I am confident that Rustem Umerov is capable of fulfilling all of those tasks,” he added.
Umerov Honoured To Be Defense Minister
Rustem Umerov noted that he was honored to become Defense Minister at such a historic time for the country.
“I am grateful to the President of Ukraine for his trust. Ukraine will regain what belongs to it, and this time every meter and every centimeter of our land will be under the Ukrainian flag,” he said.
Umerov asserted that his ministry should become the main institution for coordinating the defense forces, and all its activities should be aimed at strengthening the Ukrainian military and providing them with everything they need.
In the area of international cooperation, Umerov noted that it was necessary to create new partnerships, expand the geography of allies, and form new regional and thematic alliances.
Furthermore, he named zero tolerance for corruption, digitalization, as well as harmonization of all procurement procedures with NATO international standards, as his other priorities.
The new Defense Minister emphasized the need to develop Ukrainian defense production, which the Defense Ministry will support in every way possible.
“Our plan is victory. We must do everything to bring it closer as soon as possible,” Umerov averred.
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