The participants in the meeting in Kyiv discussed urgent supplies of weapons and ammunition.
The German military arrived in Ukraine to exchange views with their counterparts on the day of the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny. This was reported by Bild.
The publication informs that the military were seen in a hotel in the capital of Ukraine. In a request to the publication, the German Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Bundeswehr Inspector General, General Carsten Breyer, had indeed paid a visit to Kyiv. According to a spokeswoman for the ministry, they were invited by Zaluzhnyi, who was still the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The report says that the participants of the meeting discussed urgent supplies of weapons and ammunition. The purpose of the talks in Kyiv was to “further exchange information on current defence needs and future military challenges,” according to a defence ministry spokeswoman.
Ukraine urgently needs help. Ukrainian defenders, especially in the east of the country, are under pressure due to massive shelling by the Russian occupiers.
At the same time, presumptive US presidential candidate Donald Trump is actually blocking support for Ukraine by his actions, according to the report. His Republicans in the US Senate have rejected a $118 billion (about €110 billion) legislative package that would have provided major support for Ukraine.
Ukrainians are now in talks with Germany, in particular on a security partnership. It is quite possible that the visit of the Bundeswehr generals will now add even more momentum to this issue.
Zaluzhnyi’s resignation
At the end of January, social media began to spread information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had allegedly signed a decree on the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. This information was not confirmed.
On 2 February, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov commented on the situation regarding Zaluzhny’s possible dismissal. He told Ukrainian Radio that there was no document on the resignation of the commander-in-chief.
The decree dismissing Valeriy Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was published on the evening of 8 February on the official website of the Presidential Office. At the same time, decrees were published dismissing Oleksandr Syrskyi from the post of Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointing him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi biography
General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi was born in 1973 in Zvyagel, Zhytomyr region, to a career officer. He graduated from a local technical school with a degree in applied mechanics. He entered the Odesa Institute of Land Forces, graduating in 1997 with the rank of officer. Zaluzhnyi’s university degree was dedicated to the structure of the US Army.
Valerii Fedorovych was in charge of the 51st Separate Mechanised Brigade, which was stationed in Volyn. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 27 July 2021.
During the full-scale invasion, the general did not communicate with the press very often. He did publish some policy materials. In an article for The Economist, he warned of the risks of a positional war.
The military man stressed the lack of opportunities for a quick breakthrough, as the parties did not have the necessary means to do so. In addition, he noted that the West was late in transferring a number of weapons, and the Ukrainian side needed to modernise organisational processes related to the army.
In February 2024, Zaluzhnyi wrote an article for CNN in which he shared his vision of the war strategy for 2024. According to him, the strategy should be based on technological progress, require equipping Ukrainian troops with high-tech weapons, and the Armed Forces should “abandon stereotypical thinking”.
As a reminder, on the outskirts of Kyiv, the terrorist defence fighters shot down a Shahed using an AK-74 rifle.
