Fedorov: "I will not accept any position other than Minister of Defence"
Former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has rejected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer to take up other posts.
Fedorov’s press service circulated his statement, Censor.NET reports.
Rejection of Zelenskyy’s proposal
"I am grateful to the President for all the options he offered. But today, aside from the military personnel on the battlefield, there are only three offices in the country that truly determine the course of the war: President of Ukraine, Minister of Defence, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. That is why I will not accept any position other than Minister of Defence. None of the other positions has the real authority needed to combat corruption in procurement, complete the transformation of the military that we began, plan and conduct asymmetric actions and operations against the enemy, eradicate the culture of lies and irresponsibility within the system, or complete the other initiatives our team has already launched at the Ministry of Defence," Fedorov stated.
Fedorov’s statement also says that he and his team joined the Ministry of Defence in January 2026 at the president’s invitation. They had a specific plan for ending the war. It covered protecting Ukraine’s skies, stabilising the front, and striking Russia’s economy.
"We called this plan AIR–LAND–ECONOMY. For six months, we consistently implemented this very plan. For the first time in years, Ukraine began to seize the initiative. Our joint results created something that had not existed before—a window of opportunity to force Russia into peace through strength. We must not lose it," Fedorov stated.
What led up to this?
Earlier today, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had offered Fedorov several positions.
"I offered him several positions. The most recent one, without going into the details of all our meetings, was Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for military innovation," Zelenskyy said.
New Cabinet of Ministers and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Fedorov’s resignation
- On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada supported a resolution on the resignation of Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. The entire Cabinet of Ministers automatically resigned with her.
- On July 15, Mykhailo Fedorov said that he was stepping down as head of the Defence Ministry.
- Rallies in support of Mykhailo Fedorov were held in Dnipro, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, Cherkasy and other cities. Participants are protesting against his resignation.
- On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada voted to appoint the new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Serhii Koretskyi was appointed Prime Minister.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would nominate Yevhenii Khmara for the post of Ukraine’s defence minister. Before doing so, he tasked Khmara with serving as acting head of the Defence Ministry.
- Protests against Fedorov’s resignation have continued in Ukrainian cities. In addition to demanding Fedorov’s return as defence minister, people have called for Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi to be dismissed.
- On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi to the post instead.
