Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held another round of meetings with senior Ukrainian military commanders on 19 July, as reports continue to swirl that he is considering replacing Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

The meetings come amid growing speculation over the future of Ukraine's military leadership after former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov publicly revealed disagreements with Syrskyi and said he had urged Zelensky to replace him. The reports have emerged alongside political tensions and protests across the country, intensifying scrutiny of the government's wartime leadership.

The discussions come after the Financial Times, citing a source in the Presidential Office, reported that Zelenskyy planned to meet military commanders over the weekend to hear battlefield assessments and interview potential successors to Syrskyi. 

Zelenskyy meets three senior commanders

In a statement, Zelenskyy said he spoke with Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Volodymyr Horbatiuk, and Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol.

"Each of them is well known in the army," Zelenskyy said. "They reported on the situation in the relevant sectors, and we also discussed the overall course of the war."

According to the president, the commanders briefed him on the situation in Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts. They also discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, fulfilling contracts for the production of all types of drones, and operations on the Oleksandrivsk direction involving the Air Assault Forces.

"It is important to assess our strategy going forward and Ukraine's proactive steps – how to force Russia to end this war with a dignified peace for Ukraine and guaranteed security," Zelenskyy said. "There are various components to this, and I want to hear how commanders at different levels across Ukraine's Defense and Security Forces see it."

He added that he would hold further "key talks" on 20 July.

Consultations follow reports of possible leadership changes

The latest meetings follow several days of consultations with commanders across Ukraine's military.

On 18 July, Zelenskyy said he spoke with the commanders of six army and Air Assault Forces corps fighting on some of the most active sectors of the front. Earlier, he also held discussions with Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert Brovdi, National Guard Azov Corps Commander Denys Prokopenko, National Guard Khartiia Corps Commander Ihor Obolenskyi, Air Assault Forces Deputy Commander Andrii Tkachuk, acting 19th Army Corps Commander Valerii Skred, and Third Army Corps Commander Andrii Biletskyi.

The broad consultations have attracted attention after recent reports suggested Zelenskyy was reviewing Ukraine's senior military leadership.

Former Defense Minister Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently said he had clashed with Syrskyi over military leadership, claiming he had proposed replacing both the commander-in-chief and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov.

Ukrainska Pravda, however, cited sources who said the 18 July discussions with frontline commanders did not involve Syrskyi or his possible dismissal.

Neither Zelensky nor the Presidential Office has publicly confirmed that Syrskyi's position is under review.

Air Assault commander defends military leadership

The same day, Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol, one general with whom Zelenskyy met, published a lengthy statement defending the military chain of command and urging soldiers to stay out of political disputes.

Apostol, a career officer who has fought since 2014, said Ukraine's armed forces "were, are, and will remain outside politics" and stressed that commanders bear personal responsibility for the lives of their troops and the decisions they make on the battlefield.

"Where discipline ends, chaos begins. And chaos always works in the enemy's favor," he wrote.

Without naming anyone directly, Apostol criticized sweeping public attacks on Ukraine's senior military leadership by people who have never commanded troops in combat.

"Criticism can be substantive, professional, and well-founded. But humiliation, baseless accusations, and public insults against the honor and dignity of the highest military command are unacceptable," he wrote, warning that such attacks undermine trust in the armed forces and benefit Russia.

While Apostol did not mention Syrskyi by name, his statement appeared to respond to the growing public debate over the commander-in-chief's future.

Zelensky has publicly framed the meetings as part of broader consultations on battlefield conditions, military strategy, force requirements, and strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, rather than discussions about changes in military leadership.