Zelenskyy Reveals Ex-Defense Minister's Exit Linked to False Starlink Intel, Trump Criticism

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shed light on the reasons behind the dismissal of his former Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, stating that while he held a positive view of Fedorov, the minister had "gone, or been pushed, in the wrong direction."

Fedorov stepped down in July amidst government reshuffles, reportedly due to disagreements with Ukraine's top military commanders. Zelenskyy disclosed that he had offered Fedorov four alternative positions within the government, all of which were declined. A key factor contributing to Fedorov's departure, Zelenskyy revealed, stemmed from inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry earlier this year.

This misinformation concerned the use of Starlink, the satellite internet service provided by SpaceX. The Defense Ministry had informed Zelenskyy that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukrainian forces to use Starlink for deep strikes within Russian territory, contingent on U.S. approval. Zelenskyy then approached then-U.S. President Trump with this information, citing Elon Musk's alleged agreement.

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I had and still have a very positive attitude towards Mykhailo, we went through a lot together. But I think he went, or was pushed, in the wrong direction.

However, during a subsequent meeting, Trump accused Zelenskyy of deception, as Musk denied having authorized such usage. Upon investigating this discrepancy, Zelenskyy's Defense Ministry admitted the information might have been inaccurate. This incident, involving a misunderstanding about Starlink's capabilities and U.S. approval, played a role in Fedorov's eventual dismissal.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy conveyed an optimistic outlook, reporting that Ukraine has nearly fully reclaimed the Dnipropetrovsk region. He noted that the territory Russia had occupied since the beginning of the year, approximately 990 square kilometers, could be matched by Ukraine's recaptures by the year's end. Zelenskyy also identified the Konstantynivka-Sloviansk-Kramatorsk axis as the main objective for Russian forces and reiterated Russia's demand for Ukraine to cede the Donbas region as a condition for peace talks.

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Trump told me that I had deceived him, because Musk denied the opening of Starlink for Ukraine on the territory of Russia. I turned to our Ministry of Defense, and they answered me: it is possible that this is the case.