Ukraine’s former armed forces chief endorses ‘victory plan’ in first speech since his dismissal

Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has expressed his support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” despite the tensions between the two that led to his dismissal in February. In his first speech as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, the former armed forces chief endorsed the plan, which includes a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory — steps that have been met with reluctance by Kyiv’s allies so far. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said NATO membership remains the only viable security guarantee for his country.