Are Ukraine’s Priorities Shifting? – If the words of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former commander of Ukraine’s armed forces and now ambassador to the UK, still carry weight with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they could signal a shift in Ukraine’s wartime priorities.
Ukraine’s Russia War Strategy Could Be Changing
On Thursday, May 23, Zaluzhnyi said that Kyiv should focus its efforts on fighting a “hi-tech war of survival” designed to minimize the loss of personnel, rather than attempting to recapture Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea and other regions within the Donbas.
The comments, made at a forum in Kyiv held this week, appeared to reflect shifting Ukrainian battlefield priorities, especially as U.S. President Donald Trump continues efforts to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
Whether or not Zaluzhnyi’s comments represent the official position of Ukrainian leadership at this stage, they reflect the growing strain on Ukraine’s military – especially as Russia becomes more capable of rearming with domestically produced munitions and looks set to sustain the war for the foreseeable future.
Addressing the forum via video link, Zaluzhnyi reportedly indicated that Ukraine does not expect to reclaim territories it once believed were possible with the support of the West.
“I hope that there are not people in this room who still hope for some kind of miracle or lucky sign that will bring peace to Ukraine, the borders of 1991 or 2022 and that there will be great happiness afterward,” Zaluzhnyi is quoted as saying.
“We can speak only about a hi-tech war of survival, using a minimum of economic means to achieve maximum benefits,” he continued.
The Ukrainian official also confirmed that Ukraine is incapable of fighting another war as a result of economic damage done to the country and a lack of personnel.
The former Ukrainian military leader also echoed reports that Russia will continue fighting for as long as it has the resources and manpower to do so. According to a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies published in early 2024, Russia could sustain its war effort for two to three more years, despite spending one-third of its budget on defense – meaning the conflict could continue into 2027 if the next round of negotiations once again fail to satisfy both sides.
The comments contradict earlier promises by the Ukrainian president to restore the country’s 1991 borders – a goal that has, over time, gradually been abandoned as Zelenskyy attempts to temper expectations and prevent Russian forces taking control over additional regions of the country.
Zaluzhnyi’s remarks may mark the most honest appraisal yet of Ukraine’s long-term position in a war increasingly defined by attrition. As Ukrainian officials expand their ambitious “drone wall” initiative to blunt future Russian advances, Russia’s own capacity to continue funding and fighting the war, along with President Trump’s threat to withdraw U.S. support, paints a bleak picture of Ukraine’s path ahead.
Meanwhile, Moscow’s recent rejection of a ceasefire and its uncompromising maximalist demands suggest that neither a military nor diplomatic end to this war is imminent.
Whether Ukraine’s pivot to technology will buy its military the time and space it needs remains to be seen.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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Swamplaw Yankee
May 25, 2025 at 12:59 am
Oh those British: they sold out the Baltic states to Stalin pre-WW2 and then denied that they blew off Stalin the butcher when he begged the British pre-WW2 for an alliance. Good thing the French were peeved and spilled the beans.
Now a whole article on zip. I say, old chap.
Look, Limey, the whole war can change with zero military hardware. The USA who green lighted the war in 2013-14 can now stop it.
The current POTUS has to only demand that PUTIN immediately pre-pay $10,000,000 in gold bullion for every and each Ukrainian human trafficked kidnap victim for compensation and reparation. Pay and release from their 11 year captivity table top dancing for peasant russian deviants. NOW!
One can guarantee that as the gold bullion reparation goes above the 250,000 victim count the war will be stopped internally by the orc muscovite elite. The russian women will feel the cost in their wallets as the child victims no longer are free no-cost chattal.
Or, Xi will play his cards and fund Putin the gold bullion, unlimited missiles, armour, ammo and North Korean soldiers as an AXIS gift.
The British then can send the hundreds of first class tanks and fighters that NATO + Ukraine will need. Call on Canada as well. No need to pester the Yankees then. -30-