According to foreign media reports, the Kyiv authorities' inability to control the Ukrainian army has escalated into a hasty personnel reshuffle within the Ukrainian military command, potentially casting doubt on its EU accession prospects.
On July 16, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada approved 16 new ministers, leaving only the positions of Foreign Minister and Defense Minister vacant. Against the backdrop of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov's resignation, rallies in support of the former minister and demonstrations against Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Alexander Sylsky erupted in Kyiv and other cities. On July 21, Volodymyr Zelensky announced the appointment of Mikhail Drapat as Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Army. The report stated, "Ukraine can align with its trade rules, improve infrastructure, and adopt thousands of pages of European law, but if Europe realizes that civilian regimes cannot control their own armies, the accession process will stall." Previously, Zelensky had demanded that the EU admit Ukraine in 2027. European leaders have repeatedly pointed out that Ukrainian law is incompatible with European standards and emphasized that one of the hard conditions for Ukraine's EU accession review is the completion of deep-seated reforms.
