Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi asked Pentagon chief for 17 million rounds of ammunition

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was informed during a visit to Kyiv that Ukraine needed 17 million rounds of ammunition and that US$350-400 billion worth of assets and personnel would be required to liberate the country.

Source: War vs politics: what’s really going on between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi?, an article by Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "According to Ukrainska Pravda, the General Staff’s calculations show that achieving the president’s objective of liberating the entire territory of Ukraine will require US$350-400 billion worth of assets and personnel."

Details: The General Staff shared some planning ideas with Austin during his visit to Kyiv in November.

Quote from a senior Defence Forces official: "Austin was told 17 million rounds of ammunition were needed. He was stunned, to put it mildly, because you wouldn’t be able to collect that many rounds in the whole world."

In addition, according to a source, Austin also said Zaluzhnyi had complained privately to American generals about interference from the President’s Office (this news was initially worded: "Austin also said Zaluzhnyi had complained to him about interference from the President’s Office"): "Austin told us privately that Zaluzhnyi was always complaining to his generals about the President’s Office and how it obstructed him. Well, obviously the president learned about those conversations too. And that isn’t conducive to trust."

However, the President’s Office is inclined to believe that Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal would facilitate his political career.

Ukrainska Pravda sources from Zelenskyy’s inner circle say Bankova Street (the President’s Office) is well aware of this, so a significant part of the president’s team is strongly opposed to the current Commander-in-Chief stepping down.

Background:

• Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said in an interview that the situation at the front has reached a stalemate, where neither side can advance because they are technologically equipped at the same level, and the war is moving to the stage of positional fighting.
• President Zelenskyy has said he does not think the situation on the front in Ukraine is a stalemate and Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia.
• Zelenskyy told British tabloid The Sun on 21 November that military personnel who are going to enter politics should not "deal with war".
• On 29 November, The Economist wrote that parallel to the grim reality of trench warfare, the "political battlefield" in Kyiv is becoming more and more tense. President Zelenskyy sees a competitor in Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and the political threat is harming Ukraine.
• The Economist wrote that it had obtained access to an internal poll in Ukraine, and the results suggest that "Zelenskyy risks losing the presidential election if he ever comes face-to-face with his commander-in-chief."

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