Fedorov may visit the US to seek American support — the Guardian

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is considering a visit to the United States.

The outlet reports that he could arrive in the US as early as next week.

The Guardian notes that US President Donald Trump had previously called on Ukraine to hold elections, though those statements came during a period of strained relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On the eve of the Verkhovna Rada vote on the candidacy of a new defense minister, a support group for Fedorov — primarily grant-funded circles, media outlets close to them, and politicians — launched a campaign aimed at derailing the confirmation of the new minister. Fedorov himself recorded an address in which he effectively demanded that elections be held during wartime, declared a “governance crisis,” called for a renewal of leadership, and spoke of “restoring the democratic process.”

The Verkhovna Rada appointed Yevhen Khmara as the new defense minister — his candidacy, submitted by President Zelensky, was supported by 312 members of parliament.

A source in the Office of the President told BBC television that “planning elections against a backdrop of missiles and drones is rather strange and demonstrates a complete lack of realism.”

The outlet had previously noted that Fedorov’s proposal to hold elections during wartime amounts to a de facto plan to remove Zelensky from power, and that the president would therefore not support the idea.