In a demonstration of solidarity, EU leaders convened on Thursday to authorize a sizeable financial support package for Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel took to social media to announce the agreed provision of 50 billion euros ($54 billion), a move that successfully resolves weeks of opposition spearheaded by Hungary.
Amid military and political upheavals, CNN on Wednesday disclosed pending changes in Ukraine’s defense leadership. Sources close to the situation report that Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, is slated for removal from his role within the coming days.
The anticipated dismissal of Zaluzhnyi, while applauded by the public, comes in light of a pronounced discord with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speculation about his future intensified following reports of a tense encounter at the presidential office on Monday, where Zaluzhnyi was purportedly prompted to resign, a request he is said to have rebuffed. An official presidential decree could see the military commander ousted by the week’s end.
At the heart of the disagreement are the differing viewpoints on the prolonged conflict with Russia. Tensions mounted subsequent to an interview given by Zaluzhnyi last November. In the interview, he labeled the situation as a “stalemate,” an assertion President Zelenskyy has since publicly disputed. Zaluzhnyi’s stance has placed him at odds with the administration, spotlighting the fractures within the Ukrainian government.
In additional developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded an international probe following an alleged incident involving Ukraine. He claims that a military transport aircraft was shot down in the Belgorod region last week by a U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense system furnished to Ukraine. The aircraft, according to Putin, was transporting scores of Ukrainian prisoners of war and several Russian nationals.
Lastly, the Ukrainian authorities have yet to acknowledge their involvement in the aircraft’s downing or confirm Putin’s assertions regarding the plane’s occupants. However, Kyiv stands firm on its call for transparent, international scrutiny of the airplane crash to ascertain the concrete details of the incident.