Peace provides a chance for political change and deep reforms
The body of a slain Ukrainian soldier is carried in a hearse past Maidan Square, Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov 24 Credit: SERGEI GAPON/AFP
29 November 2025 8:00pm GMT
Knowing the political goal of a war makes it possible to understand what the enemy is doing, and how to respond.
The conflict in Ukraine has been going on for 12 years, beginning with the 2014 invasion of Crimea. There is no doubt over Russia’s political goal: the abolition of Ukraine as an independent state. Understanding this has to form the basis for building a strategy that will preserve our statehood.
We are in an extremely difficult situation, where a rushed peace will only lead to a devastating defeat and loss of independence.
I became commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine in August 2021. Although the military was undergoing a transformation and gaining combat experience, it still had many problems. The Russian army was rapidly increasing its forces and supplies. The Kremlin increased the military budget year after year, invested resources in the defence-industrial complex and purchased more weapons and equipment.
Meanwhile the opposite was happening in Ukraine In 2021, the army was allocated even less money than in the previous year. As a result, our military met a full-scale invasion the following year with a huge shortage of everything, from people to weapons.
At the beginning of 2022, the general staff made calculations that showed the total needed to repel aggression – including for the restoration and replenishment of missile and ammunition stocks – was estimated at tens of billions of pounds, which we did not have. And then Russian tanks rolled over the border.
According to the Russian military theorist Alexander Svechin, there are two types of strategy to achieve a political goal: defeat and attrition. The Russian strategy for defeat envisaged clear military actions: a quick strike on the Ukrainian capital and attacks in other directions.
However, this did not go according to plan. The heroism of Ukrainian citizens was the key to a victory that, although cost us the lives of our best and part of our territory, preserved the state and gave us that most important thing – a chance to fight and make peace on our own terms.
From that moment, the enemy’s strategy changed to one of attrition. Russia in 2023 tried to focus on creating a strong defensive lines, which on the one hand was logical, serving to repel our offensive, and on the other hand, distracted our attention from the main goal.
As Ukraine was pushing back, Russia was implementing a war economy, launching propaganda, changing legislation and building strategic reserves, all while dragging us into a new attritional phase of the conflict for which, just like in 2022, we were not ready.
The events of 2024 and 2025, despite minor achievements at the front, indicate the absolute effectiveness of such a strategy for Russia in its efforts to achieve its political goal.
However, a war of attrition is also being waged on the political front and the economic front. Military actions play an important role in achieving political goals, but are not the final phase.
For example, let’s imagine that Russia completely occupied the Donetsk region. The war would not end, because it would not achieve the political goal. Russia seeks to create conditions to achieve the collapse of Ukraine on the military, economic and political fronts simultaneously.
In the absence of a unified vision of a new security architecture on the European continent, without security guarantees and real financial programmes, the war with Russia risks turning into a broader war with over the capture of Eastern Europe.
War does not always end with the victory of one side and the defeat of the other. We Ukrainians strive for complete victory, but we cannot reject the option of a long-term end to the war.
Peace, even in anticipation of the next war, provides a chance for political change, for deep reforms, for full recovery, economic growth and the return of citizens.
It is even possible to speak about the beginning of the formation of a safe, protected state through innovation and technology; of strengthening the foundations of justice through the fight against corruption and the creation of an honest court system; and of economic development, including on the basis of international economic recovery programmes.
But all this is impossible without effective security guarantees.
Such security guarantees could include: Ukraine’s accession to Nato, the deployment of nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory or the deployment of a large allied military contingent capable of confronting Russia.
However, there is no talk about this today and, therefore, the war will probably continue. Not only militarily, but also on the political and economic fronts. Russia may change the tools and forms of its aggression, but they will all serve the same purpose.
For us in this situation, the main political goal should be to deprive Russia of the opportunity to carry out aggression against Ukraine in the foreseeable future.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi is the Ukrainian ambassador to Britain and former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces
Comment from :
Alan Schenk
Not long ago, I was of the opinion, that land for peace was the only solution to what seemed to me and still does, the inability of Ukraine to push Russia back to its borders.
Now I am of the view, that even continuous war and conflict, if that blood and treasure is what Ukrainians are prepared to sacrifice, is a better option than simply giving in to aggression.
Like Hitler, Putin in my view will not stop, will not allow Ukraine (what remains) to operate as a sovereign state and will eventually push for yet more territory. The man’s appetite is insatiable, will his replacement and the country be similar?
Hairy Plotter
To have done Soo Well, despite Litterally Hideous rules of Engagement from day 1. During which time,Always maintaining the highest levels of integrity despite tRump. Always employing precision targetting of Military Targets. ( unlike spetznazi’s ). Ukraine’s Consistant Abilities to adapt and Overcome are imo, Already Legendary. Wishing you all a just deserved peace soon.
Слава Україні/Heroium Slava 🇺🇦 💪
Grinch at Xmas
Good to hear from Ambassador Zaluzhnyi. This is a very concise, seemingly accurate analysis of the situation and what needs to be done to defeat the russians before Ukraine is overwhelmed.
barry smith
Spot on article, Ukraine will never be safe without proper security guarantees and we are using any spare cash to pay more and more money to benefit claimants rather than on defence. Hopefully this will be the last ever Labour Government.
William Gittere
To outright win the war, Ukraine must find a way to destroy Russia’s means and will to fight. While it may be possible to affect the will of her people to continue, short of nuclear capability, there does not seem to be a practical method to destroy her means. Ukraine is just too small, undermanned and ill equipped in comparison, and without friends that will meaningfully come to her aid. Best to focus on delaying at the front and attacking strategic targets in Russia’s rear that hurts her people the most. With sacrifice and patience, it may win the day… eventually.
Oksana Sen
Ukraine managed to survive and repel the attack in the initial months of the full scale invasion because of the heroism of common Ukrainians and because of the wise leadership from Zaluzhnyi. He has a massive support of Ukrainians. I have no doubt he stands a strong chance of becoming a president.
Martin Whapshott
If only western leaders had just a fraction of the courage of the Ukrainians they would have provided all the tools necessary to inflict impossible attrition on the Russians. Even now these cowardly leaders are prepared to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, a victory for the Ukrainians and their young and imperfect democracy. All that is required is mass produced missiles and drones on a vaste scale.
Dario O’Grady
The kremlin has caught a Tiger by the tail and can’t let go, it throws its troops into the tigers mouth but avoids a serious bite, the tiger is smart, it knows the kremlin is tiring and soon its grip on the tail will fail, when it does, the tiger will devour the kremlin 🇺🇦.
Note : This article has been swamped unsurprisingly with professional kremtrolls and magaputler shitheads. I’ll spare you their putrid lies. But here are just two :
vishal singh
Zalensky has to go.
A Ukrainian reply :
Ivan Kuzyk
Reply to vishal singh
Vishal Singh has to go. If you are going to troll, Singh, spell correctly.
Justin Case
If you cut the head off a snake….the rest thrashes around a bit, and dies.
We know who the snake in the Kremlin is…..
Kremtroll reply :
Vasily Ptashka
Reply to Justin Case
I just wonder who that snake might be. And, more importantly, what is your exact plan for achieving this daredevil goal? To resurrect A. Navalny? ”Naval’nya” left in Russia would be most happy. Or use a cowardly M. Khodorkovsky hiding in London (why am I not surprised here) or his buddy L. Nevzlin from Israel as a spear?
A Ukrainian replies to the kremtroll :
Ivan Kuzyk
Reply to Vasily Ptashka
After Nemtsov, Litvinenko, Politkovskaya and countless others murdered by Kremlin henchmen, everyone knows who the snake is. Khodorkovsky survived 10 years in a Russia penal colony – for you to insinuate he is a coward, says more about you than him. Putin’s Russia is broke and its only hope for survival rests on lies, North Korean troops and a corrupt narcissist in the American White House. Ever the American people who elected Trump are repulsed by his pro-Putin slavishness…….
Some good comments again, and Hairy Plotter’s is spot on, too. Ukraine’s courage and abilities are already legendary.
Yes, Hairy is one of us and a frequent commenter on the DT.
I note that Zal is implying that he would give land to putler :
“We Ukrainians strive for complete victory, but we cannot reject the option of a long-term end to the war.”
Zel cannot sign up to giving the Donbas to vermin. But maybe a president Zal would?
Caolan Robertson has spoken to frontline soldiers and some have said that putler could take the Donbas as quickly as 6 months.
The putinaZis are chucking everything they’ve got at it and the ZSU still have insufficient firepower and manpower.
What is needed now is for the Europeans, including the UK, to accept that putler won’t stop and that they they therefore now must stop talking about mythical peace deals and send ground troops now, with air support.
Being in a position of having to cede land for peace is not a reflection on Ukraine’s level of courage or abilities, but solely on the collective West’s lack in both of those facets.