"It was for us quite a big surprise": European Commissioner Kubilius says EU will ask why Fedorov is being replaced
Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, has described the dismissal of Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as unexpected and stressed that Ukraine's agreements with the European Union on defence funding and drone production must remain in place.
Source: Kubilius in an interview with European Pravda
Details: When asked whether he had heard reports that Fedorov could step down, Kubilius replied: "It was for us quite a big surprise."
Kubilius said that while travelling from Warsaw to Chełm, he received news that Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko would resign.
"Changes, perhaps, sometimes are needed. As we understand from the people with whom we were speaking, maybe the new prime minister is really a person who can be fit for that position," he said.
Meanwhile, Kubilius added that his main concerns are who will be responsible for defence in Ukraine and what will happen to the defence minister.
"We were working with Mykhailo Fedorov very closely, especially after he became the minister of defence. My personal opinion is that a lot was achieved during that period of time. What we see almost daily was deep strikes [long-range] near Moscow, near St Petersburg, Omsk, Crimea and so on," he said.
Speaking about Fedorov's dismissal, Kubilius added that it will inevitably raise questions in the EU as to why someone like him is being replaced.
Quote: "For us, it is very important to continue what we have started to do, especially the Ukraine Support Loan. Sixty billion is a really big amount of money. We achieved really good progress with Mykhailo Fedorov, with Serhii Boiev on implementing that loan."
Details: Kubilius said that a list of weapons needed by Ukraine has been approved, along with a timeline for using European funding related to drone production. He added that all agreements and procedures on both the Ukrainian and EU sides are functioning effectively and that the first funds have already been transferred to Ukraine.
The commissioner also announced that another tranche of funding will be transferred to Ukraine this week, which "can be related to missiles, fighter jets, with some really important equipment for Ukraine".
"There are also future plans like Freyja, anti-ballistic systems, and ballistic production in Ukraine, which would be very important to be continued," Kubilius concluded.
Background:
- According to Ukrainska Pravda sources within the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not put Fedorov forward for the post of defence minister. Instead, he is expected to nominate Ihor Klymenko, who is currently serving as acting Interior Minister.
- Fedorov summed up his tenure, thanked those who supported him and said he will continue his mission to "defeat the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation and the power of organisation".
- A protest in support of Fedorov began at 09:01 on 16 July near the President's Office in Kyiv.
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