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Ukraine had hoped to push Russian forces back last year, but success on the battlefield was elusive.
Its forces launched a counterattack against the Russian invasion in June, but have so far failed to gain the momentum necessary to turn the tide of the war in Kiev's favor.
Zalozny – known as the “Iron General” – said in his own statement that it is clear that the tasks of 2022 are no longer the tasks of this year.
He said it was decided that the country needed to change its approach and strategy.
“Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to the new reality as well,” he said. “It was an important and serious conversation.”
The differences between the two men had been raging for several months, but they seemed to have widened at the end of last year after Zalozny said in a long article and interview in a magazine, “The war had reached a stalemate.” The Economist magazine in November.
More recently, the two leaders disagreed over whether Ukraine needs mass mobilization efforts. The army chief had suggested that up to half a million conscripts were needed, which Zelensky opposed.
Some analysts have speculated that Zalozny may emerge as a political rival to Zelensky in the upcoming elections, although the general has so far shown little political ambition.
A survey conducted by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology last year showed that 88% of Ukrainians support the general, while Zelensky's approval rating, although also high, has fallen significantly since the beginning of the war to 62%.
Zelensky said he offered Zalozny the opportunity to continue “to be part of the Ukrainian state team.”
“I would be grateful for his approval,” he said. “It's not about titles. And it's certainly not about politics. It's about the system of our army, about management in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, about drawing the experience of battlefield commanders into this war. Every soldier, every sergeant, every officer who sees the front lines understands what decisions are required.”
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