‘Misguided actions’, Trump episode: Zelenskyy breaks silence on rift with sacked defence minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly detailed his dispute with ousted former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has called for a wartime presidential election even as Ukraine remains under martial law due to the war with Russia, meaning fresh elections cannot be held under current conditions.The Ukrainian president made the remarks during an earlier off-the-record meeting with reporters, with a transcript of the discussion released publicly on Sunday (local time).Zelenskyy described some of Fedorov’s actions, including his calls for elections and involvement in mass protests, as “misguided.”“I 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,” the Ukrainian leader told reporters.Zelenskyy also appeared to link Fedorov to an episode involving Elon Musk and the billionaire’s Starlink satellite internet service. According to Zelenskyy, earlier this year, the Defence Ministry told him that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory for deep-strike operations, subject to political approval.Acting on that information, Zelenskyy raised the issue directly with US President Donald Trump, telling him that Musk had confirmed the proposed use. The two sides subsequently sought confirmation from Musk and discussed financing for the project.Zelenskyy further stated that at a later meeting, Trump informed him that Musk had rejected the proposal and accused him of having “misled” the US president. Musk considered the move a “dangerous escalation,” he added.“He (Trump) said that I had supposedly deceived him, because Musk had denied Ukraine the use of Starlink on Russian territory. I went back to our defence ministry, and they told me that maybe it was so,” Zelenskyy recalled.However, Zelenskyy stopped short of explicitly accusing Fedorov of lying, instead indicating that the episode was among the reasons behind “some of the steps” he later took.Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks, but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision.Fedorov later called for an election.(With AP inputs)Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.