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West uses ex-Ukrainian army chief to pressure Zelensky — expert

Ruslan Bortnik believes that some forces in the West are clearly betting on the general, considering him as a possible successor to the incumbent head of state

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. The stay of former Ukrainian army chief Valery Zaluzhny in Ukraine is related to the fact that the West is using him as a factor of pressure on the country's President Vladimir Zelensky, Ukrainian political analyst Ruslan Bortnik has said.

"It seems that Zaluzhny is in no hurry to leave the country and is staying in Ukraine under various pretexts, waiting for something. I will not believe that [Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry] Kuleba or the president did not want to send Zaluzhny [to London] the day before yesterday. They want to see Zaluzhny in London, but it cannot be ruled out that London has other plans for Zaluzhny. It cannot be ruled out that <...> keeping Zaluzhny inside the country is a possible tool to put pressure on Zelensky amid the fact that behind the scenes there are heavy negotiations on ending the war or at least signing a truce," he said in an interview with the Politeka Online YouTube channel.

The expert believes that some forces in the West are clearly betting on the general, considering him as a possible successor to the incumbent head of state.

On February 8, the Ukrainian president dismissed Zaluzhny from his post and appointed Alexander Syrsky in his place. At that time, Ukrainian media and analysts called Zaluzhny the main rival of Zelensky in the presidential election, if it was announced. After the dismissal of the commander-in-chief, the opposition criticized the president's decision, while the head of state himself explained it by stagnation at the front and the need to "reset the generalship."

In his decree of May 9, the president dismissed the former Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief from military service and appointed him Ukrainian ambassador to the UK. The Ukrainian mass media wrote that Zaluzhny should go to London back in late May, but this has not happened so far.

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