Keir Starmer arrives in Kyiv for farewell visit as British PM – Europe live

and Artem Mazhulin
in Kyiv

Fedorov’s six months in office coincided with a dramatic improvement in Ukraine’s position on the battlefield. Kyiv has repeatedly hit Russian oil refineries with long-range drones, embarrassing Vladimir Putin and creating nationwide fuel shortages.

In his farewell message Fedorov, 35, listed his achievements. They included disabling Starlink for Russian troops and procuring more drones, used to destroy “enemy logistics” and to isolate occupied Crimea. He said he had “radically improved” the procurement system, saving the state budget “billions of dollars”.

On the day of his departure the minister revealed Ukraine’s military had successfully tested a ballistic missile. “We fundamentally revised ⁠the technical requirements ​and achieved maximum ​accuracy. ​We reduced ​the ‌cost ​by ​30%. Ukraine will enter a new league,” he said.

The sacking appeared likely to overshadow Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv. The British prime minister, who is due to leave office this week, arrived on Thursday to mark the country’s support for Ukraine during his premiership.