President Volodymyr Zelenskyj during a visit to the army headquarters near the front line in Ukraine. The photo has been published by the presidential administration in Kyiv. Photo: PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT HANDOUT / EPA / NTB
Disagreements between political and military leaders in Ukraine have come to the surface in recent weeks. Experts VG has spoken to believe that the generals have only been honest about how things are on the ground in the war.
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Disagreement between political and military leaders in Ukraine has become visible in recent weeks. Chief of Defense Valery Zaluzhny says the war is in a phase of exhaustion, which President Zelenskyj rejects. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko criticizes Zelenskyi in an interview with German Spiegel. Experts believe the generals give an honest picture of the situation, and that such discussions are common in war. Ukraine fears that support from the West may decrease. Currently, there is nothing to indicate that. Show moreUkraine’s chief of defense, General Valery Zaluzhny, stated in Economist that the war is entering a new phase of stagnant war of attrition. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj flatly rejected this and criticized the general for the fact that the statement may have a negative effect, both in the Ukrainian population and in the West. Kyiv’s powerful and famous mayor Vitaly Klitschko is now harshly criticizing Zelenskyj in an interview with German Spiegel. Volodymyr Zelenskyj has previously publicly criticized Vitalij Klitschko. Mariana Bezuhla, deputy chair of the parliament’s security committee, believes that the defense chief must be firedbecause he has allegedly not put forward any plans for the war.
Karen-Anna Eggen at the Department of Defense Studies responds as follows when VG asks about the disagreements between politicians and military leaders in Ukraine:
– Discussions like this will appear in democracies – and especially in such a demanding situation as the one Ukraine is in, she replies.
– General Zalujnyj gave a sincere picture of the situation on the ground, and there is an acknowledgment among many that he leads a military which partly fights with its hands tied as a result of a lack of ammunition and equipment. Zelenskyj is also aware of this, says Karen-Anna Eggen to VG.
RESEARCHER: Karen-Anna Eggen at the Department of Defense Studies. Photo: Frode Hansen / VG
She says that the West has long discussed whether Ukraine is getting too little, too late, from the Western side.
– Now we see the consequences of Ukraine entering a winter where Russia seems to have the initiative when it comes to soldiers, equipment and ammunition.
The egg adds:
– It is also possibly easier for some Ukrainian politicians to criticize the military for poor management, rather than discuss the full mobilization of their own population.
Arne Bård Dalhaug, retired general and former head of the OSCE observers in the Donbas region, sees it in much the same way:
– As far as a possible split between the political leadership and the chief of defense is concerned, I currently do not see this as a serious matter. It is only Zelenskyj who matters among the political voices, and yes, he was not entirely satisfied with some formulations from the defense chief in the Economist.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a pleasant walk with Chief of Defense Valery Zaluzhny in July 2023. Photo: HANDOUT / AFP / NTB
General Dalhaug adds:
– Nevertheless – overall, I believe that Kyiv has benefited from the honest interview with General Zaluzhny. The West/US acknowledges that the war is about where Zaluzhny says it is. The NATO foreign ministers’ meeting and the secretary general’s statements also fall well along these lines, says Dalhaug to VG.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen at the Danish Defense Academy also believes that the generals are only speaking sincerely:
– Ukraine is in a difficult situation. The concern is that support from the US and the West will disappear. They must find the balance between being honest and also not being too honest if it looks bad – both to their own people and in terms of Western support.
– Some generals have been relatively honest that it looks difficult, while President Zelenskyi believes that they are exaggerating – and insists that Ukraine will win. But that kind of discussion will be quite common in a war, says Peter Viggo Jakobsen to VG.
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Published: 06.12.23 at 03:23
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2023-12-06 02:23:44
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