Zaluzhnyi discusses Ukraine's strategy at meeting with NATO officials – The Guardian
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has met with high-ranking NATO officials on the Polish–Ukrainian border in mid-August to discuss Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy.
Source: The Guardian
Details: The Guardian said the meeting took place 11 days ago [on 15 August – ed.] in a secret place on the Poland–Ukraine border and lasted for five hours.
At the same time, Zaluzhnyi allegedly "brought his entire command team with him".
The meeting’s goal was to help reset Ukraine's military strategy.
"Top of the agenda was what to do about the halting progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, along with battle plans for the gruelling winter ahead plus longer-term strategy as the war inevitably grinds into 2024," The Guardian said.
US General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Admiral Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff of the UK, were also present at the meeting.
The Guardian noted that this was not the first such talks.
The meeting at the border happened after Radakin visited Kyiv without the UK ministers, holding an undisclosed 45-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Defence sources said the aim of that meeting was to get a better understanding of Ukraine's strategy and how the West can help it.
At the same time, The Guardian claimed that General Mark Milley, Radakin's colleague at the Pentagon, was banned from visiting Ukraine.
On 18 August, Radakin published a photo with Zaluzhnyi and Cavoli.
National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov said Zaluzhnyi described Radakin after the meeting at the border as "our guy".
As The Guardian wrote, the UK sources are reluctant to talk about the results of the meeting at the border, but signals come from the West that Ukraine's strategy has changed after the discussions.
"I think you can see they are focusing on the Zaporizhzhia front," the source said, commenting on new Ukrainian attacks on the city of Tokmak.
Background: The Wall Street Journal said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has told US officials that Ukrainian forces are on the cusp of a breakthrough in the counteroffensive.
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