Zelenskyy hints at broad leadership shakeup when asked about dismissal of Gen. Zaluzhnyi
supplementedPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked about the possible future dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, which has recently been announced by the media. The head of state declared the need to reboot the government during an interview with the Italian TV channel Rai 1.
"This is an issue that concerns the people who should lead Ukraine. We definitely need a reboot, a new beginning," he said.
According to the president, this involves replacing a number of state leaders not only in the military sector.
"I am thinking about this replacement, but here we cannot say that we will replace one person... If we want to win, we must all move in the same direction, confident of victory, we must not lose heart, give up, we must have the right positive energy... that's why I'm talking about a reboot, a replacement," said Zelenskyy.
He noted that by this he means "something serious", which concerns not one person, but the direction of the country's leadership.
On the evening of January 29, anonymous Telegram channels, some of which are believed to be connected to the Office of the President, as well as several Ukrainian MPs, spread information about the alleged removal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Subsequently, the leading world media began to write about the alleged possible dismissal of the army chief.
President Zelenskyy's spokesman Sergii Nykyforov denied these reports in a comment to LIGA.net.
On February 2, the Secretary of the National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said that "as of today, there is no" document regarding Zaluzhnyi's dismissal from the post. On January 4, the adviser to the US president stated that personnel decisions, in particular the possible dismissal of the head of the Armed Forces, are the sovereign right of Ukraine and its president.