Zelenskyy's reshuffle will include appointment of new defence minister – UP sources

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be putting current Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov forward for the post of defence minister as part of the government reshuffle.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Servant of the People faction

Details: Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that this was announced at a meeting of the Servant of the People faction focused on government issues.

At the faction meeting, the president said Fedorov has a systemic conflict with Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, and with the armed forces, and that it has proved impossible to resolve.

"He [the president – ed.] said that, ideally, both Fedorov and Syrskyi [Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces – ed.] should be dismissed, but he cannot do that now," one participant in the meeting told Ukrainska Pravda.

UP sources say Ihor Klymenko, currently acting Interior Minister, will be nominated instead of Fedorov.

Sources in the faction also say Fedorov remains on the president's team, "but what he will do next will become clearer next week".

Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Zelenskyy was considering dismissing Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister. Sources in the government team said he may be replaced by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Read more: Zelenskyy's government reshuffle: Svyrydenko out, Koretskyi in the Cabinet, questions over Fedorov

Background: On 12 July, Zelenskyy announced a government reshuffle and said Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko was stepping down.

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