For Valery Zalouzhny, Ukraine must adapt to a reduction in Western military aid
Valery Zalouzhny, the head of the Ukrainian armies, has not said his last word. After an avalanche of publications on social networks, then in Ukrainian media, announcing his dismissal by President Volodymyr Zelensky – while tensions between the two men have continued for months – the general published a text on the website of CNN in which he lets it be understood that the fate of Ukraine is in his own hands.
He says his country must adapt to a reduction in military aid from its main allies and focus even more heavily on technology if it is to win. He emphasizes unmanned systems – such as drones – which he says are the “best way to avoid being drawn into a war of positions, in which we do not have the advantage”.
He says he is aware of the “reduction in military support from [des] key allies, grappling with their own political tensions.” He thus takes note of the impasse in military aid to Washington. European leaders reached an agreement on Thursday on aid of 50 billion euros for Ukraine, until then blocked by Hungary, and the American Senate is due to unveil its new aid plan for Ukraine this week.
He adds that “The weakness of the international sanctions regime means that Russia, in partnership with some other [pays]is still able to deploy its military-industrial complex in pursuit of a war of attrition against us”.
Finally, he notes bureaucratic blockages which are holding back the Ukrainian defense industry and that “ a new philosophy of training and warfare » is necessary in 2024. He also attacks the refusal of the authorities to mobilize more: “We must recognize the significant advantage enjoyed by [Russie] in the mobilization of human resources and how this compares to the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manning levels of our armed forces without resorting to unpopular measures.”
The army has asked President Zelensky to enlist half a million more to replace exhausted soldiers, compared to the approximately 600,000 Russians deployed in Ukraine. But in January Ukraine’s parliament refused to debate a controversial bill aimed at mobilizing more troops.