President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is considering replacing many of Ukraine's leaders, including the head of the armed forces, to “reset” the country's path nearly two years since the full-scale Russian invasion.
In an interview with Italian media outlet RAI published on Sunday, Zelensky said that “a new beginning is needed” and that he has “something serious in mind, which does not concern a single person, but the direction of the country's leadership.”
“When we talk about this, I mean a replacement of a series of state leaders, not just in a single sector like the military,” Zelensky told RAI.
Zelensky did not clarify who would be replaced, but his comments come amid speculation about the future of army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The differences between the two men have been simmering for many months, but appear to have increased at the end of last year.
In November, Zaluzhnyi referred to the situation on the battlefield as a “stalemate,” drawing sharp criticism from the president's deputy chief of staff, who said such comments about the war only benefited Russia.
More recently, the two leaders clashed over whether Ukraine needed a mass mobilization effort. The army chief suggested that it would be necessary to call up up to half a million additional soldiers, which Zelensky resisted.
This operation began in June and aimed to expel Russian forces from the territories they have occupied since 2022, especially in the south of the country. Ukraine intended to advance south from the city of Orikhiv towards the Sea of Azov, splitting Russia's forces in two and cutting off its land bridge to Crimea.
Kiev's gains, however, were modest and this lack of progress led to a call by Zaluzhnyi and the military in late December for a massive effort to mobilize new recruits. The request is currently before parliament.
As the two-year anniversary of the war approaches, Ukraine faces difficulties on several fronts in keeping its war effort going. Russian troops are wearing down Ukrainian forces on the front line, who are on the defensive, and with the depletion of Western arms shipments and foreign aid, Kiev's soldiers are increasingly outnumbered and outgunned.
Although the European Union recently approved $50 billion in aid to Kiev, Washington's funds are tied up in a paralyzed Congress, with many Republicans aligning themselves with the isolationist views of former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the party's presidential nomination. .
In an exclusive article for CNN , published last week, as news swirled around his expected departure, Zaluzhnyi acknowledged that Ukraine must adapt to a reduction in military aid from its main allies, as they are “struggling with their own political tensions.” . He also noted that developments in the Middle East since October have attracted international attention in other countries.
The article also characterizes the situation as a war of position – defined by wear and tear and lack of movement on the battlefield – which is equivalent to the recognition that the Ukrainian counteroffensive was effectively over.
However, it makes no reference to his relationship with the president.
Zelensky is expected to announce Zalzhnyi's resignation in the coming days, although presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told CNN and other media outlets last week that rumors about the army chief's imminent dismissal were false.
Zelensky has already replaced his defense minister and several defense officials, but Zalzhnyi's departure would mark the biggest military change since Russia's February 2022 invasion.
Removing Zalzhnyi would also be a politically risky move for Zelensky, given the immense popularity of the general who survived the failed counteroffensive. A poll published by the Kiev Institute of Sociology in December found that 88% of Ukrainians supported the army chief, compared with 62% for the President.
The poll was carried out after differences between the two leaders apparently came to light over the course of the war.
CNN's Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report
Source: CNN Brasil
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