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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky payss a visit to the frontlines of the Zaporizhzhia region, on Feb. 4, 2024.
When political leaders sense their governments are losing popularity and public credibility, they tend to shake things up. It’s risky because big changes are an admission that things aren’t going well. In the middle of a war, the stakes are much higher.
This is the moment of danger and opportunity that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has signaled that he now faces. On Sunday, he promised his people “a reset, a new beginning.” By acknowledging he has “something serious in mind … for the direction of the country’s leadership,” he’s accepting the need to improve relations between Ukrainian political and military leaders and to breathe new life into the country’s bid to repel Russian invaders. He’s likely to go beyond a widely reported plan to fire top Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny.
The big questions: With growing fears for the durability of Western support and Russian forces trying to shift from defense to offense on the battlefield, will a major change in Ukraine’s leadership mean a new strategy for the war? If so, will that work? Or will Zelensky’s plan, once he’s offered details, amount to little more than a rebranding of his government?
This is the next big story in this war.