Former Ukrainian Armed Forces commander-in-chief and current Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Valeriy Zaluzhny, has spoken openly for the first time about a serious rift in his relationship with President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an interview with the Associated Press, he described an episode in 2022 that he said was the culmination of tensions between the country’s military and political leadership. Zaluzhny, who is seen as Zelensky’s main potential rival in the upcoming elections, said the differences between them began in the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“I have often questioned the president’s military strategy,” he said.
The most high-profile accusation concerns the events of September 2022, when dozens of SBU officers showed up at the president’s office to search it.
According to Zaluzhny, it looked like an attempt at pressure: “I told Yermak that I would repel this attack because I know how to fight,” he said, referring to the then head of the Presidential Office.
Zaluzhny claims that he was ready to pull military units into the center of Kyiv to protect the command center. It later turned out that the search was formally authorized due to an investigation into a strip club that allegedly operated at the same address – although, according to the general himself, this could not have been a mistake. The presidential office and the SBU declined to comment. The AP notes that it was unable to independently confirm Zaluzhny’s version.
Another source of conflict was the 2023 counteroffensive. Zaluzhny said that his original plan – to create a “united fist” to break through the Zaporizhzhia region and reach the Sea of Azov – was not implemented due to a lack of concentration of resources.
“Instead, the forces were spread out over a wide front, which reduced the strike power,” he explained.
Two Western defense officials confirmed to the AP that this was the initial concept of the operation. The counteroffensive, which failed to achieve a strategic breakthrough, was one of the factors after which Zelensky dismissed Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief in February 2024 and appointed him ambassador to London. Analysts then viewed this as an attempt to eliminate a potential political competitor from the domestic arena. Sociology indicates that Zaluzhny’s political potential is growing. According to an Ipsos poll, in a hypothetical election he would gain 23% against Zelensky’s 20%.
“People will vote not only for Zaluzhny, but also against Zelensky – placing responsibility for failures on him,” said political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko, quoted by the publication.
The president’s popularity has declined amid the protracted war and corruption scandals within his team.
At the same time, Zaluzhny himself publicly avoids talking about politics: “Until the war is over or martial law is lifted, I don’t discuss it and I’m not doing anything in this direction.”
Zaluzhny also said that in the spring of 2025, he was approached by a “fairly well-known” American political strategist. According to the AP, he was Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, who previously worked for ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.
“I thanked him for his attention, but said that I didn’t need his services,” Zaluzhny said.
The AP emphasizes that the interview comes at a critical moment, when the US is stepping up pressure on Ukraine to reach a peace agreement, and Zelensky has agreed in principle to hold elections after the war ends and security guarantees are received.
