After what has felt like months of gloomy news about stalled front lines, degrading support in Western capitals, and depleted ammunition, Ukraine had a decent week.
In Brussels, the European Union finally convinced Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to get out of the way of a $54 billion, multiyear financial support package to the Ukrainian government, which was passed with much fanfare on Thursday. In the waters of the Black Sea, the Russian navy was dealt another embarrassing setback when Ukrainian naval drones sank the Ivanovets, a Russian missile corvette based in Crimea. And after months of suspense, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on Thursday that the national security supplemental package, which contains more than $60 billion in military support for Kyiv, will be put on the floor this week.
Yet all of this positive news is getting buried underneath the wet blanket that is the drama between Ukraine’s two most powerful officials, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Valery Zaluzhny, the country’s top general. Rumors of the two men disagreeing over tactics, strategy, and the overall direction of the war effort have persisted for months but came out in the open in November, when Zaluzhny sat down with the Economist and bluntly said the war was at a stalemate. The interview didn’t sit well with Zelensky and his political team in Kyiv, who quickly denounced the comments as false. Some even went so far as to accuse the general, in essence, of providing aid and comfort to the Russian enemy.
The spat has now reached its peak. Zaluzhny, who is highly respected by his troops, extremely popular with the Ukrainian public, and viewed as a legendary figure for his overall command of Kyiv’s defense during the first two months of the war, will now be searching for a new job—or at least soon. Zelensky reportedly pressed for his resignation and offered him an alternative post, but Zaluzhny declined. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves; whether or not it’s his choice is irrelevant at this point.
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