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Олександр КузьменкоThat's Life
16 July 2026, 12:52
2026-07-16
Mykhailo Fedorov rejected Zelensky's offer to become an advisor and said that he received offers from Palantir
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said during a briefing before his resignation that he had rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer to remain in the team in the status of an advisor. In addition, the government official commented in detail on his relationship with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and denied rumors of any ultimatums from his side.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said during a briefing before his resignation that he had rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer to remain in the team in the status of an advisor. In addition, the government official commented in detail on his relationship with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and denied rumors of any ultimatums from his side.
The head of the defense department stated this during a briefing for journalists, explaining the circumstances of his dismissal.
Fedorov stressed that he did not ask the president to remove Oleksandr Syrsky from the post of Commander-in-Chief. At the same time, when asked by journalists whether he would remain in the post of head of the defense department in the event of Syrsky’s resignation, Fedorov answered in the negative.
«I don’t need the position of Minister of Defense to be Minister of Defense. I need it to win the war. In this structure, I don’t understand how to do that,» the government official emphasized.
According to Fedorov, after Zelensky’s decision to leave Syrsky in office, he was ready for further joint work, but faced a lack of communication.
«When the president said he had no plans to fire Syrsky, I said I agreed — it was his decision as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and I would learn to work with him. But Syrsky is not ready to talk openly about problems. He is ready to go to meetings, weave intrigues, think that someone is ordering campaigns against him. And he gave an ultimatum. And instead of figuring out how to asymmetrically defeat Russia, he figured out how to split the country,» Fedorov noted.
At the same time, the former minister noted that he highly values Syrsky as a military leader. He urged not to underestimate the Commander-in-Chief, noting his significant role during the defense of Kyiv and the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive.
In addition, Fedorov shared information about further employment offers. According to him, he has already received a job invitation from the CEO of the American technology company Palantir, Alex Karp.
«Let’s do something together,» Fedorov quoted the head of a company that is actively helping Ukraine with intelligence analysis and integrating AI solutions on the battlefield. However, the minister rejected the proposal, adding that now is «not the time.»
Mykhailo Fedorov also said that he had already had a telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, and another meeting is expected later.
The termination of his work as an advisor to the Minister of Defense was announced by volunteer and activist Serhiy Sternenko, as well as military signalman and radio technology expert Serhiy «Flash» Beskrestnov. In addition, due to Fedorov’s dismissal, Air Force Commander Pavel Elizarov, who is building a small air defense system, resigned.
«Doing things with a bunch of restrictions that give you the opportunity to start defeating the enemy? Well, then you’re the f**k out of the position of minister.» What do entrepreneurs, volunteers, and public figures think about Fedorov’s dismissal from the Ministry of Defense
