Ukraine’s army chief takes swipe at Zelensky over war failures
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Ukraine’s embattled army chief has said the country cannot match Russia’s manpower without taking “unpopular measures”, in a veiled swipe at Volodymyr Zelensky.
General Valery Zaluzhny called on his political masters to “seize the moment” as he alluded to Mr Zelensky’s reluctance to back his call for a military draft of up to 500,000 people.
The popular general, who is expected to be sacked within days according to numerous reports, went public with his views in an op-ed for the US network CNN on Thursday.
He wrote: “We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by the enemy in mobilising human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures.”
Gen Zaluzhny has long argued that as many as half a million people may need to be called up if Kyiv is to successfully counter Russia’s overwhelmingly superior troop numbers.
The dispute between the Ukrainian president and his army chief has spilled into the public eye amid growing concerns about the West’s commitment to continue funding Kyiv.
The EU finally agreed a €50 billion (£42.6 billion) package on Thursday after Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, ended his months-long holdout in the face of intense pressure from the bloc’s 26 other members.
But concerns remain over the delay to approve a new round of funding by the US, a lynchpin in the Western coalition backing Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, voiced hope that the EU’s decision could assist Joe Biden in convincing reluctant Republicans in Washington to pass his request to approve a further $60 billion to support Kyiv.
Gen Zaluzhny acknowledged the limitations that accompany the dwindling supply of international funding and suggested Ukraine must change the way it fights if it is to gain an advantage over Moscow.
He said: “The challenge for our armed forces cannot be underestimated. It is to create a completely new state system of technological rearmament”.
He highlighted drones in particular, as “crucial” to providing “the best way for Ukraine to avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage”.
The article was written by the general before an expected announcement of his dismissal. CNN earlier reported the Ukrainian president was set to announce Gen Zaluzhny’s dismissal by the end of the week, in what would be the biggest shake-up of his military since Russia invaded.
The general was called to a meeting in Mr Zelensky’s office on Monday to be informed he was being dismissed, the network reported. Gen Zaluzhny was said to have been offered a different post by Mr Zelensky, but declined.
The rift between the pair appeared to have taken root last year, amid the failure of Ukraine’s counter-offensive.
Gen Zaluzhny also drew an angry retort from Mr Zelensky when he described the war with Russia as a “stalemate” in an interview with The Economist.
Ihor Zhovkv, the president’s spokesman, suggested the “last thing” his military should be doing is commenting to the press on the state of the front line.
“Because then we will facilitate the aggressor’s work,” he said.
Mr Zelensky publicly addressed the dispute with his senior military leadership in his December press conference, when he confirmed the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian president signalled he was unconvinced by the rationale, telling reporters: “I said I would need more arguments to support this move.”
