KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's fired defense minister said Thursday he has rejected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's efforts to persuade him to rejoin the government in a different role where he could continue fighting Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion. Advertisement AdvertisementFedorov said in a statement that leading the Defense Ministry was one of only three jobs that "actually shape the course of the war," along with the presidency and chief of the armed forces. He said that he would "not accept any position other than" defense minister, in what amounted to a defiant stance against Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president said earlier Thursday he had offered Fedorov the position of deputy prime minister for military innovation. ___Follow the AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine