European Commission responds to reports of Ukraine's Defense Minister replacement
Photo: Andrius Kubilius (Getty Images)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has become involved in long-range strikes on Russian rear areas, including in temporarily occupied Crimea, said European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
"I will not comment on what is happening at the moment. We worked very effectively with Mykhailo Fedorov and his team. We saw in Mykhailo Fedorov a minister who managed to achieve a great deal in such a short period of time," Kubilius said.
According to him, Ukraine's deep-strike capabilities and developments related to Crimea are largely linked to Fedorov's appointment as Defense Minister.
"We will see what the decision of the President and the new Prime Minister will be, and who will become the Defense Minister — I cannot speculate on that. We will continue our cooperation. We will also see what responsibilities he (Fedorov - ed.) will continue to carry out," the European Commissioner for Defense and Space added.
What are the reasons for possible personnel changes
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, there had been reports of tensions between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Fedorov. Sources told RBC-Ukraine that relations between the minister and the President had cooled, although other sources denied those claims.
Members of the Servant of the People party also told RBC-Ukraine that Fedorov's possible dismissal would signal that Ukraine's military leadership had gained the upper hand in its disagreements with the minister.
However, numerous RBC-Ukraine sources across various government bodies can neither confirm nor deny the reports of Fedorov’s resignation.
New Cabinet in the works
On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly announced a reshuffle of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers and law enforcement system. The new government could be headed by Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi.
