Speaking during the “Meet the Press” NBC news program, he noted that Ukraine is considering shifts in its strategy.
“Our military are coming up with different plans, with different operations in order to move forward faster and to strike Russian Federation unexpectedly,” he said, rejecting the suggestion that the war has become a “stalemate.”
At the same time, the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Ukraine’s top military commander, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, for publicly describing difficulties Ukraine faces on the frontline in his long article for the Economist published on 1 November 2023. Zaluzhnyi named five problems Ukraine and its allies have to solve to prevent the war from getting into trenches.
Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of Ukraine’s office of the president, said Zaluzhny’s assertion that the fight against Russia was deadlocked “eases the work of the aggressor,” adding that the comments stirred “panic” among Ukraine’s Western allies.
The statements marked the difference in Zaluzhnyi’s and Zelenskyy’s approaches and estimates. Both Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi shared the ultimate goal of reaching Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders and repelling the Russian invasion. Both also say that turning the war into lengthy trench warfare would be beneficial for Russia, given that the war is on Ukrainian territory. At the same time, it seems Zaluzhnyi prefers speaking about all problems openly to solve them faster, while Zelenskyy worries about informational security and thinks that declaring the war a stalemate would support those voices in the West advocating for freezing the war on Russian conditions.
In his article, Zaluzhnyi stressed that Ukraine should achieve air and drone superiority as well as more effective counter-battery fire, demining forces, and larger reserves. Only after that would it become possible to conduct successful offensive operations against the Russian army and liberate Ukrainian lands.
Read more:
- Zelenskyy responds to Zaluzhnyi’s article: No stalemate situation
- Washington Post tells story of “friendly and complicated” relations between US’ and Ukraine’s top army commanders
- Ukraine’s military leader expresses gratitude to outgoing and incoming US Joint Chiefs chairmen
- Ukraine makes “excellent progress” toward EU, Von der Leyen says in surprise visit to Kyiv
