Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly stated that he had offered former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov several new positions within the government. The head of state shared this information during a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Kyiv.
Offer for a role in the military sector
According to information provided by Zelensky, the final offer made to Fedorov was the position of Vice Prime Minister for Military Innovation. The President emphasized that this post would require strict coordination with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the army command, and, of course, the President.
"We must do this every day. I offered it to him," Zelensky added, commenting on the necessity of daily interaction between the agencies.
Context of the dismissal and reasons for the conflict
Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense. The former Acting Head of the SBU, Yevhen Yermakov, was appointed to the vacant position. Zelensky explained his decision by citing a lack of effective interaction between the Ministry of Defense and the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). According to the President, the parties were unable to establish work without the involvement of the head of state, although they were supposed to cooperate daily.
Disagreements in assessing the situation
However, the President's version of a systemic conflict is disputed by other participants in the events. The former Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that there was no conflict between him and Fedorov. According to him, only working disagreements arose between the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, which the parties resolved in the usual manner.
Earlier, Mykhailo Fedorov himself stated that he had proposed to Zelensky to change the military leadership, but the President did not support this initiative. After this, according to the former minister, the General Staff began to block the reforms he proposed.
Public reaction and Fedorov's position
The decision to dismiss the Minister of Defense caused a wide resonance in Ukrainian society. The majority of citizens did not support the President's actions, which led to the start of protest actions in the country.
At the same time, sources from RBC-Ukraine report that Mykhailo Fedorov is ready to return to the power system only for the position of Head of the Ministry of Defense, refusing other offers.
