Ukrainian president confirms he’s thinking about dismissing the country’s military chief

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that he’s weighing a possible dismissal of the country’s top military officer, a prospect that has shocked the nation and worried Kyiv’s Western allies. Asked whether he was considering the ouster of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zelenskyy told Italian RAI TV in an interview released late Sunday that he was thinking about it as part of a broader issue of setting the country’s path. He said that “a reset, a new beginning is necessary,” and it’s “not about a single person but about the direction of the country’s leadership.” Tensions between them have been rising as Ukraine grapples with ammunition and personnel shortages following a failed summer counteroffensive.