President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed two decrees on March 3 dismissing Ihor Brusylo from his role as Deputy Head of the Office of the President and appointing him as Ukraine's Ambassador to Italy, filling a post that had been vacant since late July 2025.

A Diplomat With Italian Experience

The decrees, numbered 216/2026 and 217/2026, took effect immediately upon signing, according to Ukrainian outlet TSN. Brusylo, a diplomat and civil servant specializing in foreign policy and international relations, brings prior experience in Italy to the role. He served at the Ukrainian Embassy in Rome from 2007 to 2011 before returning to work in Ukrainian government institutions.

Brusylo graduated with honors in translation from Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv and holds a degree in international law from the Ukrainian Academy of Foreign Trade. He held a series of progressively senior positions in Ukraine's presidential administration from 2012 to 2021, ultimately becoming head of the State Protocol and Ceremonial Service before being named Deputy Head of the President's Office on March 17, 2021.

Filling a Seven-Month Vacancy

The ambassadorial post in Rome had been empty since July 21, 2025, when the previous ambassador, Yaroslav Melnyk, was reassigned. Melnyk had served as Ukraine's envoy to Italy since September 2020 before being appointed ambassador to Belgium.

The appointment comes at a time of active Ukrainian-Italian diplomatic engagement. In January, Brusylo, still in his role at the President's Office, met with Italy's Special Envoy for Ukraine's Reconstruction, Davide La Cecilia, and Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Carlo Formosa to discuss preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference scheduled for July 10-11 in Rome.​

Reshuffling in Zelenskyy's Team

The move is part of a broader pattern of diplomatic reshuffling under Zelenskyy. As reported by Ukrainska Pravda, recent months have seen several ambassadorial appointments, including the naming of diplomat Mykhailo Brodovych as ambassador to Georgia in January, filling a vacancy that had existed since 2022. In his role as Deputy Head of the President's Office, Brusylo had been responsible for coordinating foreign policy between diplomats, the president, and international partners, according to RBC-Ukraine.