Former Ukrainian commander says Ukraine cannot restore borders

23/5/2025 6:15

Ukraine should abandon any notion of

restoring its borders established with the 1991 collapse of

Soviet rule or even those dating from the 2022 full-scale

Russian invasion, the country's former military commander was

quoted as saying on Thursday.



Valery Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to London, was

replaced as top commander in February 2024 after months of

reported disagreements between him and President Volodymyr

Zelenskiy.



Zelenskiy and other public figures have long called for the

eviction of Russian forces and a return to Ukraine's 1991

post-Soviet borders, including Crimea, which Russia illegally

annexed in 2014.



But as efforts over recent months have focused on launching

talks to secure a ceasefire, public statements by Kyiv have been

more moderate on the question of ceding territory.



"I hope that there are not people in this room who still

hope for some kind of miracle or lucky sign that will bring

peace to Ukraine, the borders of 1991 or 2022 and that there

will be great happiness afterward," the RBK Ukraine news site

quoted Zaluzhnyi as telling a forum in Kyiv.



"My personal opinion is that the enemy still has resources,

forces and means to launch strikes on our territory and attempt

specific offensive operations."



Zaluzhnyi said Russia had been waging a war of attrition for

a year and, given Ukraine's smaller forces and difficult

economic circumstances, its only hope was to rely on advanced

technology.



"We can speak only about a high-tech war of survival, using

a minimum of economic means to achieve maximum benefit," he was

quoted as saying.



Opinion polls show Zaluzhnyi to be among the most popular

public figures with Ukrainians. Polls also show Zelenskiy's

rating rising since his confrontation with U.S. President Donald

Trump at a White House meeting in February.



With Trump attempting to pressure both Moscow and Kyiv to

end the conflict, Ukraine has agreed to launch direct talks with

Russia but first wants a ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.



The European Union, in the absence of Russian agreement on a

ceasefire, this week imposed new sanctions on Moscow.



Russian President Vladimir Putin said discussions on a

memorandum it proposes to draft with Ukraine would include the

principles of a settlement and the timing and definitions of a

possible ceasefire, including its time frame.