The EU reacted to the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov: “This was a big surprise”

European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius said that the news of Mykhailo Fedorov’s resignation from the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine came as a surprise to him. At the same time, Brussels emphasizes the importance of maintaining continuity in defense cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union.

Kubilius said this in an interview with “European Pravda”.

“It was a big surprise”

Commenting on the personnel changes in the Ukrainian government, the European Commissioner admitted that he learned about them on the way from Warsaw to Chelm, Poland.

“Yes, and it was a big surprise,” said Kubilius, answering the question of whether he knew about Fedorov’s possible resignation.

At the same time, he noted that government changes are a natural part of the political process, and the new head of government in Kyiv is positively assessed by Ukrainian interlocutors.

Brussels concerned about change in leadership of the Ministry of Defense

According to Kubilius, the EU is most concerned about the issue of the future leadership of the Ukrainian defense ministry.

He stressed that during the cooperation with Mykhailo Fedorov, a number of important defense projects were implemented, in particular, regarding the development of drone production and the use of European funding.

“It is very important for us to continue what we have started. 60 billion euros is a huge amount. The first funds have already been received in Ukraine, and all agreed procedures are working effectively,” the European Commissioner emphasized.

He also reported that this week Ukraine should receive another tranche of assistance, which may be directed to the purchase of missiles, fighter jets and other critically important weapons.

In addition, the parties are working on the implementation of projects to develop the Freya anti-ballistic system and the production of Ukrainian ballistic weapons.

Who can lead the Ministry of Defense

According to sources of “Ukrainian Truth” in the “Servant of the People” faction, President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to re-nominate Mykhailo Fedorov for the position of Minister of Defense.

Instead, the head of state was allegedly offered to appoint Ihor Klymenko, who currently serves as Minister of Internal Affairs, to this position.

Mykhailo Fedorov himself, commenting on the completion of his work in the position, summed up his activities and noted that he did not have time to implement all the planned initiatives. At the same time, he assured that he would continue to work for the victory of Ukraine, relying on innovations, speed of decision-making and technological development of the defense sector.