Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has denied persistent rumors in Kiev that he intends to fire the defense minister and military intelligence chief, ostensibly over frontline failures.

Multiple outlets reported earlier this month that there have been discussions about replacing Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the head of the military intelligence service (HUR), Kirill Budanov.

“I was not planning to do this,” Zelensky told reporters after meetings with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday evening. “I did not plan to replace Budanov. This information was circulating, yes. There was no such issue about Umerov either.”

Budanov’s impending firing was reported by Forbes Ukraine and other media outlets earlier this month. According to Forbes’ sources, the HUR head has “strained relations” with Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, as well as General Aleksandr Syrsky, the supreme commander of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Yermak, who several Ukrainian officials have described to Western media as the real power in Kiev, appeared to be Budanov’s main detractor. Among the possible reasons for Budanov’s firing, Forbes alleged that Zelensky was unhappy with several failed HUR operations. The HUR head has also reportedly conducted operations on his own without informing Syrsky or coordinating with the General Staff.

Other outlets in Kiev went so far as to speculate that the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleg Ivashchenko, could be appointed to replace Budanov.

Umerov was appointed in September last year to replace Aleksey Reznikov. According to Ukrainian media, he has not ensured stability inside the ministry, nor delivered on the reforms Zelensky has demanded regarding military procurement and modernization.

The most recent rumors about the possible firings suggest that Zelensky will wait for the outcome of the US presidential election on November 5 before making any moves.

The US has given Ukraine over $64 billion worth of military aid alone, as well as twice that much in financial and economic assistance over the past two years, while insisting it is not a party to Kiev’s conflict with Moscow.

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