White House reacts to Zaluzhnyi's dismissal as Ukraine's commander-in-chief

John Kirby, White House National Security Council Coordinator, has commented on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to appoint a new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Source: European Pravda with reference to a briefing by Kirby on 8 February 

Details: The White House representative emphasised that Zelenskyy is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of his Armed Forces, and "he gets to decide who his leadership is going to be in the military".

Quote: "That’s what civilian control is all about. We know that. And we’ll work with whoever he has in charge of his military. We’ll continue to work with our Ukrainian counterparts."

Kirby also rejected claims that the replacement of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was indicative of "instability" in Ukraine, but could not confirm whether the personnel issue had been previously discussed "at high levels" between Kyiv and Washington.

Earlier, The Washington Post, citing two sources, reported that the Ukrainian government had informed the White House of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Zaluzhnyi.

There have been weeks of speculation in Ukraine that the president was going to dismiss Valerii Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief.

On 8 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi simultaneously reported a joint meeting and said they had discussed changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces. Later that day, Zelenskyy appointed Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Support UP or become our patron!