Italy’s Crosetto Appoints Fedorov as Defense Innovation Adviser

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has accepted Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s invitation to serve as an adviser on defense innovation. Fedorov announced his new role on Friday, Aug. 28, in a statement posted to Telegram, unveiling that he had met with Crosetto during the first stop of an international trip focused on digitalization and defense-technology projects.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Ukraine’s experience can become the foundation for a new European defense model,” Fedorov said, adding that “the future of defense belongs to countries able to quickly test and scale new solutions, combining technology with strong manufacturing.” Continuing support for Ukraine projects Fedorov said his main focus would remain Ukraine, where he will continue working on projects intended to reinforce the country’s defenses and attract international resources. He was ousted as defense minister on July 15 as part as part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s broader cabinet reshuffle, and was replaced by Yevhen Khmara – a former major general of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who has spent most of his career in special operations. The move triggered major protests nationwide throughout July, with demonstrators calling for Fedorov to be reinstated. Italy’s diplomatic stance on the war in Ukraine On June 19, Crosetto said Italy would not contribute funds to NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which finances purchases of US-made weapons for Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Needs 30,000 Monthly Mobilizations, Budanov Says Reforms could curb cases of coercive recruitment but would not reduce the required number of people needed each month. He said Rome opposed the mechanism but maintained that other channels could provide Ukraine with the needed military support. “We have said no from the beginning, and it is still a no,” Crosetto said, despite last year’s announcement that Rome was warming up to the idea of taking part in PURL. Italy has also pushed back on some of the EU’s sanctions on Russia. On June 25, Rome and Paris raised concerns over an EU proposal to bar former Russian combatants from entering the bloc, arguing that the issue could be handled through visa policy rather than sanctions. On July 3, Italy joined Bulgaria in objecting to EU plans to impose a visa ban on Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Politico, citing three anonymous EU diplomats, Rome’s concerns stemmed partly from the Vatican and centered mainly on unease about sanctioning the leader of a Christian denomination. Crosetto has consistently ruled out deploying Italian troops to Ukraine as well, saying that direct military intervention would risk escalating the conflict. At the same time, he has said Italy supports assisting Ukraine “in every possible way” short of sending its forces into the country. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.