President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Igor Klymenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, as Chair of the Council of Experts on Energy Security. The relevant decree No. 1028/2026 was signed on 5 October and comes into force on the day of its publication. In this role, Klymenko succeeds Oleksandr Lytvynenko, who had headed the expert council since October 2024.
What does Zelenskyy’s decree entail?
The document amends Presidential Decree No. 206/2020, which established the Council of Experts on Energy Security in 2020. Under the new version, the President has appointed Ihor Klymenko — Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council — as Chair of this advisory body. Decree No. 1028/2026 does not contain any other amendments to the regulations governing the Council.
Ihor Klymenko has headed the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) Secretariat as Secretary since August 2026. He was appointed to this post by President Zelenskyy by a separate decree dated 3 August. The previous head of the Expert Council was Oleksandr Lytvynenko. He was appointed in October 2024, whilst he was serving as Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.
What does the Expert Council on Energy Security do?
It is an advisory body to the National Security and Defence Council, established to analyse the situation in the fuel and energy sector and to prepare proposals for the government. Its tasks include analysing and forecasting developments in energy markets, assessing the effectiveness of government policy, and addressing issues relating to energy conservation, renewable energy and alternative fuels. The Council is also tasked with developing mechanisms to resolve problems in the fuel and energy sector.
In order to carry out these tasks, the body may obtain the necessary information from government bodies and enterprises, set up working groups and expert groups, and invite representatives of public authorities and companies to its meetings.
The Council’s membership is now due to be renewed
The National Security and Defence Council has announced that the next stage will be the appointment of the members of the Council of Experts. These appointments are approved by the Chair of the Council — currently Ihor Klymenko — in agreement with the President of Ukraine.
The body itself was established following a decision by the National Security and Defence Council in December 2019 on urgent measures in the field of energy security. President Zelenskyy approved its regulations in May 2020.
The appointment comes against a backdrop of increased government focus on stability of the power system and the protection of critical infrastructure. On 1 October, Zelenskyy held a separate meeting on air defence, resilience plans and the protection of infrastructure facilities, which Klymenko also attended.
