“There will be no white swan!” Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi made a resonant statement during the Security Export: Ukrainian Technological Weapons in the World forum, UNIAN reports.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi held his position from 2021 until 2024, and is recognized as a key architect of Ukraine’s military strategy during the first years of war. In February 2024, he was replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi amid discussions of military reform and strategic shifts.
Zaluzhnyi, who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, said that hoping for a return to the 1991 borders is pointless. At least as long as Russia has the resources to continue the war.
“I hope there’s no one left in this room who still believes in some miracle, some kind of ‘white swan’ that will bring peace to Ukraine, return the 1991 or 2022 borders, and make everyone happy,” he said.
As long as Russia has the resources, strength, and means to strike Ukrainian territory and attempt limited offensive actions, such hopes are unrealistic.
According to Zaluzhnyi, Russia has been waging a war of attrition since the end of 2023, leveraging its military and economic potential. In his view, victory in the war is only possible by completely destroying Russia’s ability to wage it.
He also emphasized that Ukraine currently lacks the human and economic resources for a “large-scale” war.
“We can only talk about a high-tech war of survival — one that uses minimal human resources and minimal economic means to achieve maximum effect.
Given our demographics and economy, Ukraine is incapable of fighting any other kind of war, and we shouldn’t even be thinking about it,” he explained.
Against this backdrop, Zaluzhnyi urged the Ukrainian society to face reality and focus on developing a technological edge over the Russians.
