EU Allies ‘Shocked’ by Rumours of Zelenskyy Firing Defense Cheif Zaluzhny

Former President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday, said that the European allies have expressed shock at the rumours of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy dismissing his Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny amid the ongoing Russia Ukraine war. The reports that Zaluzhny was fired "shocked” Kyiv's European allies, former President of Ukraine said on Telegram.

"I'm in Brussels. Our partners are shocked by the rumours [about Zaluzhny's dismissal],” ex Ukrainian President wrote in a post.

Poroshenko insisted that the President of Ukraine “should neither sign nor publish a decree on the resignation of the commander in chief.” Reports emerged that Ukraine’s defense chief Zaluzhny was asked to resign and that President Zelenskyy signed but did not publish the corresponding decree. Ukraine's Defence Ministry in a post later denied such reports. Zelensky’s official spokesman Sergei Nikiforov said that the president “did not dismiss the commander-in-chief.”

Tensions between President Zelenskyy his top military general spill in open

In September, last year, Ukraine’s then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznkov submitted his resignation amid reports that the Ukrainian president  Zelenskyy was planning to replace him. The removal of the then Ukrainian defence minister came during a shakeup during the war with Russia and  Zelesnkyy’s efforts to fight corruption within the  military.

Nearly 2-years since Russia launched an all out war in Ukraine, tensions between President Zelenskyy and his top general, Zaluzhny, spilled in open. The officials in Kyiv pressed the military to provide a proper plan for the war, and some of the top brass believed that top defence commanders had none, as per the reports. “All we hear so far from [the military] is: ‘Give us more people and millions of artillery shells.’ That’s unrealistic,” an official familiar with the matter told Politico on condition of anonymity referencing the tussle between Ukraine’s civilian officials and the military that has caused dismay among the allies.