General Zaluzhny’s dismissal
Mr Zelensky’s presidency has come to be defined by the objective of recapturing all Ukraine’s occupied territory.
One risk for Mr Zelensky will be the grumbling provoked in the army by the sacking of a much-loved commander. General Syrsky has a reputation for being willing to engage the enemy, even if the cost in men and machines is high.
Mr Zelensky is still publicly clinging to his promise that Ukraine will take back every inch of soil occupied by Russian forces, even if he privately knows that this will not happen soon, if at all.
If Ukrainian forces could expel the Russian invaders it would be a wonderful thing. However, unless something completely unexpected changes, a war defined by territory is a war Ukraine cannot win.
Ukraine will emerge as the victor from this bloody conflict so long as it is a prospering, democratic Westward-leaning country. His government needs a laser-like focus on making that happen.
The Economist 8 Ferbruary 2024
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