After calling for an election amid the ongoing war, Ukraine’s ousted defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, is reportedly planning a visit to the United States. The purpose and itinerary of the visit remain unclear. Notably, Fedorov has cultivated close ties with Elon Musk through Starlink’s operations in Ukraine.
After challenging President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by calling for a wartime election, Ukraine’s former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, is planning a visit to the United States, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Fedorov could undertake the visit as early as next week. The purpose and itinerary of the visit are not yet clear.
The development comes two days after Fedorov published a video warning that widespread corruption has undermined Ukraine’s ability to fight Russia and accusing Zelenskyy’s government of systemic failures. He said democracy was not a peacetime luxury that should be forgotten during war.
“We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state. Therefore, we must find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war,” said Fedorov in a nine-minute address.
Notably, US President Donald Trump and his allies have also called for an election in Ukraine during the war. Even as Ukraine’s constitution bars elections under martial law, Trump and his allies, who have repeatedly pressured Zelenskyy to accept Russian maximalist demands and falsely blamed him for starting the war, have accused him of clinging to power under the guise of wartime conditions.
Is Fedorov mustering support against Zelenskyy in the US?
As Fedorov has positioned himself as Zelenskyy’s foremost critic, there is speculation over whether he will seek Trump’s support during his visit.
More from World
Such speculation is fuelled by the fact that Trump’s allies have previously called for Zelenskyy’s ouster, and Fedorov has cultivated close ties with Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet service has been central to Ukraine’s war effort, particularly drone warfare that has been one of the war’s defining features.
After all, Musk is one of Trump’s closest allies and financiers and has helmed the administration’s regime-change juggernaut, throwing his weight behind opposition parties —particularly far-right parties— across Europe.
But whether foreign support would sway domestic opinion remains to be seen as Fedorov’s call for a wartime election has so far been rejected by both government and opposition MPs. The response from civil society and the wider public has also been underwhelming. That is not unexpected as the idea of a wartime election has long enjoyed little support in the country.
Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs parliament’s foreign policy committee, said the only winner of a wartime election would be Putin because he would use the “vulnerability of Ukraine during the election campaign to his favour”, according to the Financial Times.
Another MP told the FT that a fierce election campaign would “bury the country” and suggested Fedorov was “in a hurry” to make his mark because “in a year people might forget him”.