According to him, this weekend V. Zelensky is organizing a meeting of military commanders to hear their assessment of the situation on the battlefield. He also intends to hold talks with candidates for the post of chief of the armed forces.
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As a source told the publication, the president is ready to dismiss O. Syrskyi from his duties if he finds a leader who can ensure a smooth transfer of powers while maintaining reliable defense along the 1200-kilometer-long front line.
It is reported that V. Zelensky began considering the possibility of dismissing O. Syrskyi after protests erupted in Ukraine over the resignation of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and “escalated into a broader campaign against the chief commander.”
The Financial Times noted that on Friday evening thousands of Ukrainians chanted outside the Ukrainian president’s office: “Remove Syrskyi!”. This became one of the largest protest actions in recent years.
Earlier this week, V. Zelensky told journalists that the relationship between M. Fedorov and O. Syrskyi had deteriorated so much that they no longer communicated directly and only communicated when the president personally mediated.
“Without me, they do not sit together (to talk),” he said. According to V. Zelensky, he “really wanted unity” between Fedorov and Syrskyi but “was unable to achieve it.”
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On July 16, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada approved a new government composition. Members of parliament voted for a resolution on the formation of the Cabinet of Ministers and the dismissal of members of the resigned Cabinet of Ministers. This resolution, among other things, provided for the resignation of Defense Minister M. Fedorov.
The former defense minister, during a press conference summarizing his work results, spoke about his conflict with the chief of the armed forces. According to M. Fedorov, he proposed to the president to replace O. Syrskyi with Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov. At the same time, he said he was ready to cooperate with O. Syrskyi.
“When the president said he did not intend to change Syrskyi – that is his decision as the chief commander. I fully agreed with this decision and said: then I will have to learn to work with him because our client is the Ukrainian people, not anyone else,” he noted.
However, as M. Fedorov admitted, his team faced blocking of all proposed initiatives.
O. Syrskyi himself publicly responded to M. Fedorov’s resignation, thanking him for his work as defense minister and wishing him to continue to remain “in the Ukrainian team.”
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