{"id":4333,"date":"2026-08-23T11:36:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2026-08-23T11:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:36:54","slug":"zelenskyy-details-rift-with-dismissed-defense-minister-saying-some-of-his-actions-were-misguided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=4333","title":{"rendered":"Zelenskyy details rift with dismissed defense minister, saying some of his actions were misguided"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KYIV, Ukraine \u2014 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes actions taken by dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, including his involvement in mass protests and calls for elections, were misguided, as he publicly detailed their dispute for the first time.<\/p>\n

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Zelenskyy also alluded to problematic decisions over defense spending and said inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry contributed to an awkward encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink in Russia.<\/p>\n

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Zelenskyy disclosed figures showing Ukraine\u2019s growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic attacks, with deliveries from Western allies declining in the past three years even as Russian missile strikes intensified.<\/p>\n

He highlighted battlefield gains, however, saying Ukrainian forces have almost completely recaptured the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers remaining under Russian control.<\/p>\n

He made the remarks during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Wide-ranging discussion included first public comments on Fedorov dismissal<\/h2>\n

His comments ranged widely, covering the latest battlefield developments, efforts to counter Russian ballistic attacks, the state of peace negotiations, Ukraine\u2019s budgetary challenges and the political turmoil surrounding Fedorov\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI really had and still have a very positive attitude toward Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he himself goes, or is pushed, into the wrong things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine\u2019s armed forces and accelerating the military\u2019s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country\u2019s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision. Fedorov called for elections in a video address on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy said he had offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in government. Fedorov, he said, rejected all four proposals.<\/p>\n

Inaccurate information led to uncomfortable White House situation<\/h2>\n

Zelenskyy appeared to link Fedorov to an awkward episode involving Starlink and Elon Musk. Zelenskyy said that earlier this year the Defense Ministry had told him that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory to carry out deep strike operations, subject to political approval.<\/p>\n

Acting on that, Zelenskyy said, he raised the issue directly with U.S. President Donald Trump. He told Trump that Musk had confirmed the proposed use. Zelenskyy said the two sides subsequently sought Musk\u2019s confirmation and discussed financing for the project.<\/p>\n

But at a later meeting, Zelenskyy said Trump told him that Musk had rejected the proposal and accused him of having misled the U.S. president. Musk considered the move a dangerous escalation, according to Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said that I had supposedly deceived him because Musk had denied Ukraine the use of Starlink on Russian territory. I went back to our Ministry of Defense and they said that maybe it was so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Zelenskyy did not explicitly accuse Fedorov of lying. He said this episode was among the reasons behind \u201csome of the steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy also pushed back against protesters\u2019 vilification of former army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he dismissed, and current Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara, saying they had gone too far.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMaybe someone doesn\u2019t like Syrskyi for one reason or another. But the slogans \u2018Syrskyi is the devil, Khmara is the devil,\u2019 … this is too much,\u201d he said. \u201cIn principle, you can\u2019t treat the military like this and tolerate it, especially when it was the military that made it possible for any peaceful protests to take place in the Ukrainian capital at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressure on defense budget but military successes<\/h2>\n

The president also described severe financial pressure on Ukraine\u2019s defense effort. He said the Defense Ministry faced a $27 billion budget shortfall after spending decisions earlier in the year brought forward funds originally intended for the second half of 2026.<\/p>\n

Touching on a corruption probe that led Zelenskyy to fire one of his most senior officials this week, he said anti-corruption investigators do not believe the president was involved. The investigators had named a deputy head of the presidential office among the suspects in a money-laundering case.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me. They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that. And this is important to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy was optimistic, saying Ukraine had almost completely regained control of the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers and three small villages remaining outside Ukrainian control.<\/p>\n

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