Former Ukrainian defense minister Fedorov: I will not compete with Zelensky during the war

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said he does not intend to engage in political rivalry with President Volodymyr Zelensky while hostilities are ongoing.

He made the statement in an interview with The New York Times.

According to Ukrainian analysts cited by the publication, Fedorov’s dismissal was linked to political reasons — including the risk that he could pose a threat to Zelensky in future elections. Experts also note that his resignation triggered street protests and sharp discontent among part of the military, raising the likelihood of a split into two centers of power: the president and the former defense minister.

Fedorov himself assured that he would not move into opposition during wartime and would not meet with demonstrators calling for his reinstatement.

“I don’t want this situation to artificially draw me into politics,” the former minister said.

Fedorov ruled out returning to the Ukrainian government under Zelensky unless he were reappointed as defense minister. He does not view the situation as a “political struggle” and declined to comment on the reasons for his resignation. He did acknowledge, however, that during his tenure at the ministry he was so distrustful that he administered lie detector tests to identify corrupt officials with secret ties to defense contractors — something he said led him to “make enemies.”

Earlier, Zelensky offered Fedorov the post of deputy prime minister for military innovations, a role that would involve daily communication with the Defense Ministry, the military leadership, and the president directly. Fedorov declined, repeatedly emphasizing that he expects to return only as defense minister.

Fedorov announced his resignation on July 15, stating that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov had insisted on his departure. He said the reason was a conflict with the military leadership, which had been blocking his team’s initiatives. Zelensky confirmed the existence of disagreements between Fedorov and Syrsky, attributing the resignation to a lack of effective cooperation between the Defense Ministry and the military command. According to the Financial Times, after Fedorov refused to return to the government, Zelensky found himself facing a deepening crisis in Ukraine’s military command.