Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, during which the first priorities for the work of the Ministry of Defence were identified. The head of state announced this on social media.
Zelensky thanked the people’s deputies for supporting Mykhailo Fedorov’s candidacy and stressed that the key task of the defence department remains the protection of Ukrainian airspace. According to the president, there are already specific decisions that must be implemented as soon as possible.
The president named strengthening the technological component in coordination with the military to stop the advance of Russian occupiers on the battlefield and solve problems with supplying the front as the second priority. In particular, an audit of defence funding will take place in the near future, following which the minister will present ways to close existing deficits. Decisions are also being prepared to increase financial support for military personnel on the front line.
Separately, the president announced work on the systematic provision of combat brigades with drones. The Ministry of Defence is to introduce a basic level of equipping units with unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as the purchase of specialised drones to strike the enemy deeper behind the front lines.
The third area of work for the Ministry of Defence will be systemic solutions to the problems that have accumulated in the work of the territorial recruitment centres. Zelensky noted that decisions have already been made on a more equitable distribution of personnel between combat brigades, but much more significant changes are needed in the mobilisation process. They should provide more opportunities for both the Defence and Security Forces of Ukraine and the state economy.
The President also announced that the Minister of Defence will soon present the new team of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.