Ukraine’s Zelenskyy reveals reasons behind defence minister reshuffle

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on his decision to replace Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, citing challenges in the relationship between the military leadership and the Defence Ministry.

Speaking at a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv, Zelenskyy suggested that the change was partly driven by tensions that had emerged within the defence sector, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

“Therefore, taking into account the priorities and the difficult situation, or difficult dialogue, between the military leadership and the Ministry of Defence — by the way, difficult at different levels… The issue is not only about personalities. Why? Because, for example, Mykhailo, I am sure, will remain on my team, and we will discuss a little later what that will look like,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president stressed that maintaining national unity remains a priority during wartime.

“You know this very well, and it is very important for us to preserve the unity of our state. We have all been working together for a long time. And sometimes conflicts arise. The law does indeed allow for a government reset, and sometimes you can find yourself in one difficult situation or another,” he added.

Earlier reports indicated that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko was being considered as a potential successor to Fedorov. However, it later emerged that Klymenko declined the position of defence minister.

By Jeyhun Aghazada