Vitaly Saenko, Yuri Kobzar15:59, 15.07.24

The President is not prepared to assert that the situation at the front would have been better under a different commander.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi has faced serious challenges at the front, but it is not a fact that the situation would have been better under another commander. As reported by a UNIAN correspondent, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said this at a press conference.

Thus, journalists asked the head of state to evaluate Syrsky’s work as commander-in-chief.

“Syrsky has a serious challenge. We have been waiting for weapons and voting on the [American military aid] package for almost 8 months. This is a very serious challenge. I do not want to compare. I treat everyone with the appropriate respect. Everyone is doing or was doing their job in their place. It is difficult to say what would have happened if the army leadership had not changed. It is difficult for me to say today, and frankly, I do not want to talk about it. This is a question and conversation after the war,” Zelensky said.

The President added that we must respect everyone and be grateful to everyone who works and fights for Ukraine and defends the state.

“I don’t think that if someone had been in Syrsky’s place, there wouldn’t have been a corresponding breakthrough [by the Russians in the Kharkiv region]. I think there would have been. Because that’s what the Russians wanted. They had the task of entering and occupying Kharkiv. The big plus in this situation for Syrsky is that he knows Kharkiv. And that’s not a small thing. He fought for it. He fought for that region. And the operation in the Kharkiv region was successful precisely under his command. And that’s a plus. But again: it’s hard for me to compare. They stopped it – well done! They didn’t allow Kharkiv to be occupied without the [American aid] package – well done! And then we’ll sort out the details when we have a break,” Zelensky said.

(C)UNIAN 2024