On his way out, Fedorov moves to boost Ukraine's sky shield with EU loans

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Recently dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has filed paperwork that could direct billions in EU loan funds to European and U.S. anti-ballistic missile technology for Ukraine, an EU official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on July 16.

Fedorov was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on the evening of July 15, a controversial decision that has led protesters to take to the streets of Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities, and even Brussels.

That same evening, Fedorov published a list of his achievements as defense minister, among which he wrote that he had "contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time, and submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles."

Ukraine is critically short of both PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles, the only tools capable of downing the Russian ballistic missiles that are being regularly fired at civilian targets in Kyiv.

During his visit to Kyiv on July 15, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a range of defense support actions.

The missile cooperation included in the package did not refer to PAC-3 missiles, only what an EU official described to the Kyiv Independent as "medium and long-range deep strike missiles."

PAC-3 missiles are anti-ballistic missiles rather than deep strike weapons.

Critically, PAC-3 missiles are also not European-made, so to source them with the EU's 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) loan, Ukraine must both request them specifically in a shopping list and seek an exemption to source non-European products.

Two EU officials had previously told the Kyiv Independent that a fifth product schedule — the formal name for these shopping lists — was imminent and would include anti-ballistic missiles and be accompanied by derogation requests to allow non-EU procurement.

An EU official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on July 16 that Fedorov had submitted additional product schedules before his July 15 exit.

The Kyiv Independent learned that the EU has received not one but "a bunch of product schedules."

While precise details could not be provided as the paperwork still needed to be reviewed, the official confirmed that the schedules contain "lots of European products" but "there will be some derogations too."

It is expected that those European products will cover some of the weapons discussed during the July 14 Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris.

Among those could be the SAMP/T air defense system, co-produced by France and Italy, as well as support for the development of Ukraine's domestically produced Freya air defense system.

Bundling together requests for both European and U.S. air defenses could also help the derogation requests pass, as it would allay some fears in European capitals that the continent's own defense industry would not be able to cash in on the Ukraine Support Loan.

Even if some countries raise objections, large majorities are needed to block Ukraine's requests for derogation.

A July 2 open letter signed by nine EU countries, urging that Ukraine be allowed to source U.S. weapons with EU money, suggests that Kyiv will have powerful supporters if needed.

The only foreseeable disruption for Ukraine getting its product schedules for weapon deliveries approved is closer to home.

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told the Ukrainian news outlet European Pravda, ahead of Fedorov's dismissal, that such a move would "raise the question of why such a person is being replaced."

Fedorov's dismissal "could weigh on the whole thing," an EU official told the Kyiv Independent.