The Washington Post was the first to report Kyiv’s move. Citing a senior defense official, the newspaper said that Zaluzhnyi’s replacement had not yet been decided and that President Zelensky appeared to want to give the officer a new role to ease public anger.
Two other sources revealed that Mr. Zaluzhnyi was offered the position of Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, but he turned it down because it was a civilian position, and he could not retire from the army while Ukraine was under martial law.
British newspaper: Why did President Zelensky change his mind about dismissing Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny?
Reuters quoted a source close to Mr Zelensky's office as saying the process of removing Mr Zaluzhnyi was on hold while the parties decided on the next steps and it was unclear how long the process would take. Another source said the White House had not expressed a view on the plan to replace the general, saying Ukraine had the right to make "sovereign decisions" on personnel. Both sources said the administration of US President Joe Biden had no objection to Mr Zaluzhnyi's removal.
Mr. Zelensky (right) and Mr. Zaluzhnyi at a ceremony in Kyiv in August 2023
The incident comes as Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia has been less successful than expected since mid-last year. Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi have been at odds over a number of issues, including the latest military mobilization, with the Ukrainian president opposing the commander-in-chief’s plan to mobilize 500,000 additional troops. In an article published on CNN on February 1, Zaluzhnyi said the Ukrainian government had failed to mobilize enough troops to fight Russia, and called for “abandoning outdated, stereotypical thinking.”
In a video posted nightly on February 2, President Zelensky said he had met with military commanders, including General Zaluzhnyi, earlier in the day to update the war situation, but did not mention any personnel changes.
'Suicide mission': Ukrainian army reveals dire situation on the battlefield
Regarding developments on the battlefield, Mr. Zelensky revealed that the situation in the city of Avdiivka (in Donetsk province) is currently "extremely difficult" for Kyiv. The leader also praised the appearance of two newly received air defense systems that he said could "shoot down anything", although he did not provide specific information.
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