Zelenskyy explains decision to replace Fedorov: there are problems and there is no unity

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on the planned changes at the Defence Ministry, has acknowledged that Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi have been unable to work together effectively and that problems on the battlefield, in military brigades and with mobilisation remain unresolved.

Source: Zelenskyy speaking to journalists

Details: Asked why he wants to replace Mykhailo Fedorov with Ihor Klymenko, Zelenskyy responded: "It depends on our priorities and the difficult situation. There is a difficult dialogue between the military leadership and the Defence Ministry. It is difficult on different levels, by the way. It is not just about individuals."

The president said a number of issues remain unresolved.

Quote: "And when we talk about the battlefield, military operations, situations in the brigades, military enlistment offices, forced mobilisation practices – all of these issues exist. We have to acknowledge what we are doing right and what is wrong and disgraceful. These problems need to be solved. I am not saying which of the two sides should solve them. I believe they should do it together.

Because it cannot be that one side alone gets the credit while the other alone bears the responsibility. No. We win together, and together we are responsible for matters that give rise to misunderstanding and public outcry."

Details: Zelenskyy added that, during wartime, the president should not have to choose between two sides.

"I wanted unity very much. The sides did not find it. And that is not only their problem, but mine as well. I do not absolve myself of responsibility. And I respect the sides, I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses, and I very much want them to strengthen Ukraine. But it is what it is. And in such a situation, the way out is either one side or the other, because without me they do not sit down together [to talk – ed.]," he said.

Zelenskyy stressed that the Defence Ministry and the military leadership "must work together independently – every day, on a permanent basis" and "must resolve certain issues at their own level".

"So I will certainly demonstrate consistency in my actions. I am simply showing that if the sides cannot resolve these issues themselves, then I will have to do it," the president concluded.

Previously: Protests in support of Fedorov are taking place on 16 July near the President's Office in Kyiv and in several other cities across Ukraine. Participants call on the authorities to keep Fedorov in the post in the new government rather than appoint Ihor Klymenko as defence minister.

Background:

• On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) approved Yuliia Svyrydenko's resignation as prime minister, a decision which entails the resignation of the entire government.
• According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, the authorities planned to form the new government on 15 July. The parliament is expected to vote on the new Cabinet on 16 July.
• Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Servant of the People faction said Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not be putting Fedorov forward for the post of defence minister as part of the government reshuffle. Ihor Klymenko, currently acting Minister of Internal Affairs, could become the new defence minister.
• Sources in the faction also say Fedorov remains on the president's team, "but what he will do next will become clearer next week".
• Fedorov summed up his tenure, outlined what he had not managed to accomplish and said he will continue his mission to "defeat the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation and the power of organisation".

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