Ex-defence minister Fedorov says he would return to Defence Ministry if asked

Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said he is ready to return to the Ministry of Defence.

Source: Fedorov in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda (English translation coming soon)

Details: Fedorov answered "yes" when asked whether he would be willing to return to the Ministry of Defence if President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered him the position.

Quote: "One hundred per cent. What would I say not even to myself or the president, but to the active part of society that has made its position clear? There's no walking away from this situation. Again, I'd really like people to understand that my goal is not to secure a job for myself. I was completely calm about... not being in the government. That's okay. I don't need just any position."

Details: Fedorov added that he knows what he can do if he does not return to government.

Quote: "I certainly don't need anyone to find me a job. But if I were to return to the government, given the mission I see for myself, it would have to be a position with real responsibilities. That is the Ministry of Defence. I understand all the challenges that lie ahead. I am absolutely ready for that. If not, there are other ways to achieve this vision."

Background:

• From 16 to 29 July, protests took place in Kyiv and other cities demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as defence minister.
• Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and former commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had been unable to work together and that problems on the battlefield, within brigades and with mobilisation remained unresolved.
• After six days of protests, Zelenskyy announced Syrskyi's dismissal as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and said he intended to appoint Mykhailo Drapatyi as his successor.

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