Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said he offered ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov a new deputy prime minister spot in his Cabinet, but it wasn’t clear whether he would take the job.
Mr. Zelenskyy told reporters that the former defense chief, whose firing after only six months in office has sparked protests in Ukraine, would remain in his government.
“I believe that Mykhailo is on the team. I have offered him several positions,” he said, according to the Ukrainian National News Agency. “The last position, not to go into details of all our meetings, is Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Military Innovations.”
Mr. Zelenskyy said military-related innovations must be coordinated throughout the government, including the Defense Ministry, the general staff and the president’s office.
“All this can be done, and we must do it every day. I offer him [Mr. Fedorov] this,” he said.
Mr. Fedorov’s dismissal was part of a government reshuffle triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko at Mr. Zelenskyy’s request. The move required a restructuring of his wartime Cabinet.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zelenskyy fired Oleksandr Syrskyi as Ukraine’s commander in chief in an apparent move to diffuse public anger. He appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new head of the country’s armed forces.
Protests are scheduled for Friday in Kyiv to demand Mr. Fedorov’s return to his former position, according to the Kyiv Independent newspaper.
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