Kiev can’t retake lost regions – former top general
Kiev should abandon its ambition to regain control over the territories it has lost to Russia, Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, has said. Only through a “miracle” could Ukraine achieve such a goal, according to the general.
“I hope that there are no people in this hall who are still hoping for some miracle… that will bring peace to Ukraine and will bring back the borders of 1991 or 2022,” the former commander, now serving as Kiev’s ambassador to London, said at a Ukrainian defense export forum on Thursday
Zaluzhny was referring to Kiev’s claims over Crimea and four other regions that have since joined Russia. Crimea voted to return to Russia in the wake of the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, and the two Donbass republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, followed suit in autumn 2022 following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February of that year.
Kiev has never recognized the referendums’ results and continues to claim sovereignty over the regions.
According to Zaluzhny, Kiev is locked in a “war of attrition” with Moscow, and Russia still has the resources to strike at Ukrainian targets and conduct offensive operations. Ukraine faces “a tremendous shortage of human resources and… a catastrophic economic situation,” the retired general warned.
Under such circumstances, Ukraine can only wage a “high-tech war of survival,” where it should strive to use “minimal resources” to achieve “maximum” results, Zaluzhny maintained. He said that the country “is not capable” of waging any other type of war and “should not even think about it.”
Zaluzhny’s remarks come amid continued Russian advances on the front line. In late April, Moscow’s troops fully liberated Kursk Region on the Ukrainian border, driving out Kiev’s forces that had occupied some areas there last year.
Over the past seven days alone, the Russian military has taken control of six settlements, including four villages in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Last week, Moscow and Kiev held their first direct peace talks in three years, following a call by President Vladimir Putin to resume negotiations without preconditions. Both sides are now expected to exchange draft proposals, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
