Italy's defence minister offers ousted Ukrainian minister Fedorov adviser role in Rome

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Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian defense minister ousted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month, can start a new life in Rome, if he wants to.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Friday said he had called Fedorov the day after he was ousted and proposed that he come to Italy and work as an adviser.

“I called him the day after he was dismissed and asked him: ‘When would you like to come to Rome to work with me as an adviser?’ ” Crosetto said in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica on Saturday.

The Italian minister said Fedorov was “moved” by the proposal and saw it as “a mark of respect and friendship,” but he didn’t elaborate on whether Fedorov accepted or not.

Crosetto strongly praised Fedorov, who has been credited with bringing a technology overhaul to Ukraine’s military but also clashed with top generals.

“Fedorov embodies innovation; he is one of those who has completely changed the rules of the game on the battlefield, enabling Ukraine first to hold its ground and then to take the initiative,” Crosetto said, adding that Fedorov was faced with “a resistance to change” that is also a problem in Italy, France and Germany.

Fedorov hasn’t responded publicly to Crosetto’s offer.

Crosetto, who is a top figure in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, also made clear that he is in favor of continuing to borrow via EU loans from the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme rather than financing defense spending through national public debt. But he made clear that it was up for the Treasury to make that decision.

Crosetto’s comments come as the Italian government is mulling applying for only €5 billion to €7 billion under the SAFE scheme, instead of €15 billion, as initially planned.