German Foreign Minister seeks talks with Ukraine over army reshuffle
Photo: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wants to discuss the recent personnel changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in the near future, according to web.de (dpa).
What the German minister said
Wadephul spoke at a press conference in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, saying he wants to talk with the acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister about the security situation in general and the personnel decisions made by President Zelenskyy.
"Germany is – and will remain – one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine politically, economically, and financially. Therefore, we are, of course, extremely interested in knowing exactly what is happening there," the minister said.
At the same time, he added that he is confident: these are decisions that partners will be able to understand, and reforms in Ukraine will continue.
On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada supported the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko's government, and it was then that Fedorov left his post.
Later, he spoke about a conflict with Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi – it was precisely this reason that Zelenskyy cited as the basis for dismissing Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense. Syrskyi himself responded by saying that he knew nothing about such a conflict, and admitted that he can sometimes be harsh.
These decisions caused public outcry – protests against Fedorov's dismissal have been ongoing in Kyiv and other cities for the sixth day, with participants also demanding Syrskyi's resignation. Against the backdrop of the protests, the president held a series of meetings with top Ukrainian military commanders, including Drapatyi.
According to Bloomberg sources, as many as 11 candidates were considered to replace Syrskyi, and Drapatyi, who had previously headed the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was considered the most likely. On July 22, Zelenskyy officially appointed Drapatyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
RBC-Ukraine also wrote about what the future holds for former Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and former Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov after their resignations.
