Zelenskyy details rift with dismissed defense minister, saying some of his actions were misguided

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes actions taken by dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, including his involvement in mass protests and calls for elections, were misguided, as he publicly detailed their dispute for the first time.

Zelenskyy also alluded to problematic decisions over defense spending and said inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry contributed to an awkward encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink in Russia.

Zelenskyy disclosed figures showing Ukraine’s growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic attacks, with deliveries from Western allies declining in the past three years even as Russian missile strikes intensified.

He highlighted battlefield gains, however, saying Ukrainian forces have almost completely recaptured the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers remaining under Russian control.

He made the remarks during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday.

His comments ranged widely, covering the latest battlefield developments, efforts to counter Russian ballistic attacks, the state of peace negotiations, Ukraine’s budgetary challenges and the political turmoil surrounding Fedorov’s dismissal.

“I really had and still have a very positive attitude toward Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he himself goes, or is pushed, into the wrong things,” he said.

Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision. Fedorov later called for elections in a video address

Zelenskyy said he had offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in government. Fedorov, he said, rejected all four proposals.

Zelenskyy appeared to link Fedorov to an awkward episode involving Starlink and Elon Musk. Zelenskyy said that earlier this year the Defense Ministry had told him that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory to carry out deep strike operations, subject to political approval.

Acting on that, Zelenskyy said, he raised the issue directly with U.S. President Donald Trump. He told Trump that Musk had confirmed the proposed use. Zelenskyy said the two sides subsequently sought Musk’s confirmation and discussed financing for the project.

But at a later meeting, Zelenskyy said Trump told him that Musk had rejected the proposal and accused him of having misled the U.S. president. Musk considered the move a dangerous escalation, according to Zelenskyy.

“He said that I had supposedly deceived him because Musk had denied Ukraine the use of Starlink on Russian territory. I went back to our Ministry of Defense and they said that maybe it was so,” he said.

Zelenskyy did not explicitly accuse Fedorov of lying. He said this episode was among the reasons behind “some of the steps.”

Zelenskyy also pushed back against protesters’ vilification of former army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he dismissed, and current Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara, saying they had gone too far.

“Maybe someone doesn’t like Syrskyi for one reason or another. But the slogans ‘Syrskyi is the devil, Khmara is the devil,'” he said. “Listen, this is too much. Do you understand? In principle, you can’t treat the military like this and tolerate it, especially when it was the military that made it possible for any peaceful protests to take place in the Ukrainian capital at all.”

The president also described severe financial pressure on Ukraine’s defense effort. He said the Defense Ministry faced a $27 billion budget shortfall after spending decisions earlier in the year brought forward funds originally intended for the second half of 2026.

Touching on a corruption probe that led Zelenskyy to fire one of his most senior officials this week, he said anti-corruption investigators do not believe the president was involved. The investigators had named a deputy head of the presidential office among the suspects in a money-laundering case.

“The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me. They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that. And this is important to me,” he said.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy was optimistic, saying Ukraine had almost completely regained control of the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers and three small villages remaining outside Ukrainian control.

He said another operation was underway elsewhere and that its results were expected by the end of August.

He also predicted that by the end of 2026 Ukraine could reach parity between the territory occupied by Russia since the beginning of the year and the territory retaken by Ukrainian forces. Zelenskyy said Russia had occupied about 990 square kilometers since the start of the year, while Ukraine had restored control over roughly 820 square kilometers.

The president said Russia’s principal objective remained the Konstantynivka-Sloviansk-Kramatorsk axis and that Moscow was still demanding Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region as a condition for a settlement.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was receiving substantially fewer Patriot interceptor missiles even as Russian ballistic attacks are increasing.

He said Ukraine received 675 Patriot missiles in 2023, compared with 364 in 2025 and an expected 264 in 2026. Zelenskyy said he wanted to secure 300 additional Patriot missiles for the coming winter, while Ukraine’s Air Force had requested 360.

The shortfall is particularly serious because the United States and European partners are struggling to expand production. Zelenskyy said he hoped Ukraine could obtain even 5% or 10% of U.S. reserves and was able to pay for them.

Zelenskyy said Russia could eventually produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles a year, compared with an estimated current capacity of 600.

He said Ukraine was also preparing alternatives to Starlink, including a European communications project, as Russia and China work on their own competing system.

A local resident removes scattered debris next to destroyed vehicles the day after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Valentyna Svertoka, 86, leans against a doorframe as she cleans her apartment in a partially damaged residential building the day after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Larysa Polishchuk, 76, cleans the entrance of her apartment in a partially damaged residential building the day after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A woman walks across the debris in the aftermath of an overnight Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

FILE - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Dutch Grand Prix is bidding goodbye to Formula 1 on Sunday but its organizers say it could potentially "serve as an alternative venue” in the future amid continuing uncertainty over next year's schedule.

Already this year, the security situation in the Middle East following the outbreak of the Iran war has meant Bahrain's race was moved to Malaysia and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was canceled.

F1 has indicated at least one extra event in Europe if the season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can't take place as planned. One likely candidate could be the Imola circuit in Italy. There are more question marks over how the four contracted Middle East races could be included in the 2027 schedule.

“Circuit Zandvoort could serve as an alternative venue in the future if another Grand Prix were unable to take place due to geopolitical circumstances, for example. The circuit’s FIA Grade 1 license will remain valid for another three years,” the Dutch Grand Prix organization told The Associated Press in a statement Saturday.

“In practice, however, many factors would need to be considered, including the necessary permits, the availability of equipment and the required preparation time. Moreover, there are other venues on the Formula 1 calendar that would make more sense from a logistical perspective. At this stage, therefore, this is not a concrete scenario.”

F1 did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The Dutch Grand Prix is a relative rarity in modern F1 as a privately run project that doesn't rely on government backing.

That makes it crucial to sell out tickets because hosting a race at Zandvoort requires spending around 75 million euros ($87.6 million) to set up infrastructure, including temporary stands seating tens of thousands of fans around the seaside circuit.

The Dutch Grand Prix returned to F1 in 2021 for the first time since 1985 and the success of four-time champion Max Verstappen — who this week signed a new contract through 2030 — has been crucial to its success. Organizers declined a potential contract extension in 2024 citing “risks and responsibilities” and a desire to go out on a high.

Fitting in a race in Europe after the scheduled Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 21 could mean F1 teams and spectators dealing with weather far colder than at most races.

“I think if it were to be Imola, and to be clear, that isn’t confirmed or otherwise, the weather will be interesting and spicy, but it would still be nice to go back to a European race at the end of it,” Williams team principal James Vowles said Friday.

“I know F1 are working incredibly hard for that not to happen and for the calendar to continue as is.”

There's also the question of funding. F1's agreement to return to Malaysia in October for the first time in nine years involved working with the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia to agree a deal that keeps Bahrain Grand Prix branding and denotes Malaysia as “host venue”.

Drivers and teams don't know for sure where and when the season will end, but title contenders George Russell and Lando Norris said Thursday it isn't affecting their preparations.

“I’m not even thinking of what I’m going to do on Monday yet,” Norris joked. “Lack of clarity at the minute doesn’t change anything.”

Russell added: “I prefer more races than less. That’s the only thing I would wish for. But it’s out of our control, it’s out of Formula 1’s control as well, so it is what it is.”

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during sprint race at the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)