Zelensky Unable to Persuade Former Defense Minister Fedorov to Return to His Post

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been meeting almost daily with former Defense Minister Rustem Fedorov in an attempt to persuade him to take on a new role, but Fedorov has turned down every offer so far, a British newspaper reports, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Fedorov lost his post as defense minister on Thursday, along with the entire government led by Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. Over the past weekend alone, Zelensky and the former minister held talks lasting roughly six hours in total.

During the meetings, the president reportedly offered Fedorov several new positions, including a senior role on Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, which would have given him direct access to the president and authority over defense innovation and military reform. The post would also have put him in charge of defense technology programs and efforts to scale up production of long-range weapons.

Fedorov's dismissal sparked outrage among Ukrainians, with mass street protests taking place in several cities over the course of several days. According to the paper, this is precisely what gave the former minister confidence at the negotiating table. "He now has significant leverage," one source said. According to this source, Fedorov wants only one thing — to become defense minister again — and he knows that a large part of society is behind him.

Over the past four days, Zelensky has held a series of meetings with military commanders and political advisers in an effort to find a way out of the crisis. Reports have emerged suggesting that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi could also lose his post, as he and Fedorov have reportedly clashed over a number of disagreements.

However, the British newspaper stresses that replacing the commander-in-chief under current circumstances could be risky for Ukraine, which has faced massive Russian air strikes in recent months. According to the report, over the weekend Zelensky discussed with military leaders not only the situation on the front line but also a possible replacement for Syrskyi.

Explaining the reasons behind Fedorov's dismissal to the Ukrainian parliament, Zelensky said the decision stemmed from ongoing conflicts between the former minister and Syrskyi. Before leaving his post, Fedorov himself listed eleven problems within the army that troubled him, including an inability to carry out reforms, the squandering of human potential, and the blocking of initiatives.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz