Ukraine's chief of staff warns Zelensky huge losses on the way: WashPo
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The Washington Post says that the Ukrainian Chief of Staff's remarks to Zelensky were the reason behind his potential dismissal as army chief.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhnyi (center left) during a visit to an artillery training centre in Ukraine on November 3, 2023 (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)
Ukraine's army chief warned that the country must prepare itself for another year of significant casualties as the war with Russia nears its two-year mark later this month.
Valery Zaluzhny's comments came during talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had earlier told him that he would be sacked from his post, the Washington Post reported citing unnamed Ukrainian officials.
Read more: Zaluzhny vs Zelensky: How firing army chief will make President weaker
Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko on Monday announced, as per informed sources, that Zaluzhny was told to resign, although no official decree has been issued yet.
Goncharenko added that Ukraine's top officer "was offered a position of ambassador to one of the European countries. He refused."
However, Ukraine's Defense Ministry denied the reports.
Tensions grew between Zelensky and Zaluzhny after the latter informed him that the field situation is at a "stalemate," a description that was strongly rejected by the president, The Economist reported.
Read more: Ukraine investigates spying device in top commander's office
400,000 reservists needed to maintain parity
According to The Washington Post, Zelensky summoned Zaluzhny earlier this week to notify him of his near dismissal.
The report mentioned that this decision came as Ukraine's leader saw the need for top-level changes amid declining Western support and a weary home front.
Zaluzhny told him that, regardless of who fills his position, it won't mean a quick improvement in Ukraine's battleground conditions, emphasizing the need to mobilize a further 400,000 reservists to maintain parity with Russian forces, the newspaper said.
But Zelensky refused the remarks, citing depleting financial support from allies - most notably the United States - and that this decision might politically backfire, especially as Kiev witnessed a series of corruption scandals in the past months.
Read more: ICJ rejects Kiev's claim to recognize Russia as aggressor state
Zelensky might not pursue decision
On the other hand, the report pointed out that Zelensky might not pursue his decision regarding the army chief, however, a decree could be issued by next week if he decided to follow suit.
General Aleksandr Syrsky, who is currently the commander of ground forces, and the head of the military intelligence Lieutenant General Kirill Budanov, are proposed candidates to replace Zaluzhny, the Post said.
Commenting on the reports, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that they serve as further proof that the “Kiev regime has a lot of problems, everything is going wrong out there.”
He mentioned Ukraine's unsuccessful counterattack and argued that the offensive, which yielded no substantial territorial advancements and seemingly caused significant casualties, had caused a deepening divide among the officials of the Kiev government, both within the highest levels of the military and civilian leadership.
Read more: After admitting to Kiev's fault in Dnipro, Zelensky advisor resigns
