Recent events have shaken up Ukraine: Zaluzhny's interview, Khorenko's dismissal, Zhovkva's comments, and the reactions of the President's Office and Zelensky. Find out what it all means and why the world is talking about Ukraine's surrender

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The last few days have given rise to another heated discussion of Ukraine in the world. The West is surprised by the unprecedented frankness of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, in an interview with The Economist and believes that there is a split between the country's civilian and military leadership due to the sudden dismissal of the former commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Khorenko. At the same time, the fire is being stoked inside the country, with loud comments and condemnations.

What is happening in Ukraine and why the world is talking about surrender - we will analyze further in the article.

Interview with Zaluzhnyi: Failure of the counteroffensive, increased mobilization and peace talks

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has given the West and Ukrainians a clear understanding of what is happening at the front and what to expect in the near future. However, many "military-political experts" in Ukraine and abroad for some reason saw the Commander-in-Chief's words as a "betrayal" and began to spread narratives about Ukraine's surrender and preparations for peace talks. In the President's Office, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Ihor Zhovkva said that the military was doing russia a favor with such comments.

At the same time, Zaluzhnyi's words only show that the world's expectations of the summer campaign were not in line with reality, in part because Ukraine requested certain weapons a year ago and has only started receiving them now. 

According to the Commander-in-Chief, it is impossible to conduct large-scale counteroffensive operations without basic artillery and air support. And the "miracles" that Ukraine demonstrated in Kharkiv and Kherson regions cannot be repeated in the current situation, because russia is also learning from its mistakes, and now its defense line looks completely different.

Thus, Zaluzhnyi's words do not push Ukraine to negotiate or surrender, but rather "put everything in its place," because unmet expectations are much worse than the painful truth. Indeed, Ukraine faces a difficult path to liberation, and Western military support, training, and reforms in the country's legislation will play a significant role in this.

Moreover, it is unlikely that the words of the Commander-in-Chief "brought strategic benefit to the enemy" or became a revelation to the world. After all, Ukraine and the world already see the events described every day.

What does Khorenko's dismissal mean?

The dismissal of the SSO commander caused a real scandal. Ukrainian military experts are outraged that the decision was not coordinated with the Commander-in-Chief, and in the West, they predict a split in the military and political leadership, attributing personal motives and fear of Zaluzhnyi to Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Viktor Khorenko was dismissed on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, and as he added in his address, "Major General Khorenko is now needed in a certain direction, he will continue to serve in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine." However, he did not give reasons for this decision.

"To additionally comment on the reasons and prerequisites for changing military leadership positions during the war is to give the enemy grounds to weaken Ukraine," the minister wrote on his Facebook page.

At the same time, the West picked up on the news, emphasizing that the dismissal of the SSO commander is a blow to Zaluzhnyi's authority and potentially destabilizing interference in the policy of the country's military leadership.

"Commentators, including a member of Ukraine's parliament, saw the dismissal of General Khorenko as the most significant and potentially destabilizing interference with the military leadership's policy in conducting this war," the New York Times wrote.

The real motives or intentions of this decision are unlikely to be known in the near future, and it is also not known what position Viktor Khorenko holds in the Main Intelligence Directorate.

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Is Ukraine under pressure from the West to negotiate?

The "need for negotiations" is not only a favorite topic in the West, but also a part of russian propaganda that has been promoted since 2014. However, despite all the disappointing news and scandalous situations, Volodymyr Zelenskyy assures that Ukraine is not considering such a possibility and there is no pressure from its partners.

"I don't know who is publishing this. I do not know why it is being done. I have a very unpleasant feeling that even we, Ukrainians, in the media also support this topic. I am surprised by this," Zelensky said and added that his "attitude coincides with the attitude of Ukrainian society, and therefore no one is putting pressure on me today."

At the same time, in an interview with NBC News, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is considering changing its strategy of war with russia.

"Our military is coming up with different plans, different operations to move forward faster and deliver unexpected strikes against russia," he said. 

What will happen if Ukraine surrenders?

Only russia is interested in Ukraine's surrender, and therefore the question of who pushed this narrative to the world should not arise. The information space is filled with countless loud statements and "conclusions" about the war in Ukraine and the current state of affairs. But how many of the loud media headlines about peace talks, a split in the government, surrender and failure are true?

If Ukraine loses this war, the war will come to European homes. This is a fact, an axiom, if you will. And these are not the words of Ukrainian politicians, this is an opinion that has long been realized on the European continent and beyond.

President Edgars Rinkēvičs of Latvia said it: "If Ukraine is unable to defend itself, if it loses, then this will actually open the way to a world war. If the aggressor is not stopped, the aggressor will go as far as he can."

Former U.S. State Department spokesman Kurt Volker said that "it's not about how much a day of war costs. The point is, what is the price if Ukraine loses? What price will Ukrainians pay? What is the price for our NATO allies, who may now be attacked themselves?"

Polish President Andrzej Duda has also spoken about this: "russia cannot win this war. If russia wins this war, it will attack another country."

Many other world leaders have said this in speeches, interviews, and official speeches. So can Ukraine capitulate, and can Ukraine's partners allow it? The answer seems obvious.

We remind you! In recent months, internal tension and fear among Ukrainians have been growing, as prolonged hostilities have been draining the psyche of people. Read when the war in Ukraine will end, according to experts, and what other opinions about the end of hostilities prevail online.

Photo: Reporters

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