Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Thursday that he had a meeting with army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and expressed that it was time for changes in the military leadership. However, he also stated that Kyiv’s top general should remain “on his team”.
Zelenskiy’s statement comes after there were speculations for several days that he was considering dismissing the army chief. Zaluzhnyi is widely regarded as a national hero in Ukraine for overseeing the war effort since February 2022.
“We discussed what renewal the Armed Forces of Ukraine need. We also discussed who could be in the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The time for this renewal is now,” Zelenskiy stated on Telegram.
In a separate statement, Zaluzhnyi mentioned that he had an “important and serious conversation” with Zelenskiy and that a decision had been made to change battlefield tactics and strategy.
“The tasks of 2022 are different from the tasks of 2024. Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to new realities as well. To win together too,” his statement said on Telegram messenger.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash and Dan Peleschuk; Tom Balmforth; editing by)
