Zelensky spoke about the circumstances of Fedorov's resignation during a meeting with journalists. According to the president, one of the reasons for the disagreements was the overlap of powers between the Ministry of Defense and the military command. The head of state emphasized that the Ministry of Defense should focus on supplying the army, while the military leadership is responsible for troop management and conducting operations. At the same time, Zelensky noted that at the beginning of Fedorov's tenure as minister, there was an idea to create a so-called "ministry of war," under which the Chief of the General Staff would effectively be subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. "I called him early on and said: 'Forget this presentation about the ministry of war, when there is no commander-in-chief, and the Chief of the General Staff is effectively under you,'" the president recounted. According to Zelensky, Fedorov then stated that he understood his position, but subsequently continued to seek other options for implementing such a model. As a result, the president claims, the military command began to respond to the actions of the Ministry of Defense with its own bureaucratic decisions. ## ## Why Fedorov and Syrsky were dismissed in turn Zelensky also explained why Fedorov and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky were not dismissed simultaneously. The president stated that he did not want to change both the Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief at the same time during a full-scale war. Additionally, he tried to give both of them the opportunity to resolve the conflict independently. According to Zelensky, about two weeks before the personnel decisions, he suggested that Fedorov and Syrsky meet and come to an agreement, but this did not happen. "You can't let it come to a conflict when they don't even talk to each other, and then both say that there was no conflict," the president said. ## ## Fedorov rejected four offers After the dismissal, Zelensky, according to him, offered Fedorov four different options for continuing work in the presidential team. The former minister rejected all offers. At the same time, the president emphasized that he maintains a positive attitude towards Fedorov and considers his work largely successful, especially in the field of digitalization. "I really had and have a very positive attitude towards Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he is heading - whether pushed or not - in the wrong direction," Zelensky stated. The head of state also urged not to reduce the assessment of the military leadership's work to individual personalities. According to him, Syrsky had mistakes and questions regarding his work, but significant efforts and losses of servicemen stand behind the operations conducted under his command. Earlier, Fedorov explained his resignation not as a conflict with Syrsky, but as an increase in pressure after changes in the work of the Ministry of Defense, particularly in the area of defense procurement and tenders.
