Parliamentarians from the Servant of the People faction are not ready to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of defense minister, faction member Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk believes.
"A mini-meeting of the faction in the Verkhovna Rada, under the dome, was dedicated to the issue of the possible dismissal of Fedorov from the post of defense minister, where many MPs gathered around David Arakhamia (head of the Servant of the People faction) saying they were not ready to dismiss Fedorov from his post," Vasylevska-Smahliuk said at a briefing on Tuesday.
According to her, Arakhamia made it clear that the reason for Fedorov’s possible resignation is "a systemic conflict with Commander-in-Chief Syrsky."
"For me, it is quite strange that this conflict is being talked about only now, although it has been going on for a long time and was no secret to anyone… even when Fedorov was appointed defense minister," she added.
At the same time, the MP emphasized that both in the faction and in the specialized committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, everyone understands that the post of defense minister is the president’s quota and he has the right to appoint and dismiss whomever he wishes, as written in the Basic Law. She noted that the committee would support any proposal of the head of state.
Commenting on a possible rotation and the transfer of Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko to the post of defense minister, Vasylevska-Smahliuk said that he had always stated that the function of police officers is not to fight, but to maintain law and order and ensure safety inside the country.
"How will he transfer to the Ministry of Defense after this, and what will the interaction of the former internal affairs minister in his new role as defense minister be like with the soldiers at the front? This is still a mystery to me," the MP said.
