Ukraine’s former army chief speaks out on possible political career
Photo: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Getty Images)
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, spoke about whether he has political ambitions in Ukraine. Recently, he gave an interview about his complicated relationship with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the ambassador’s speech at Chatham House in London.
As Zaluzhnyi assured, at present, during the war, he is not thinking about a political career. He believes that such a question should be taboo altogether.
"It is very bad when the questions of Ukrainian internal policies go to the international level — this shouldn't be, this should be tabooed," he said.
At the same time, the former Commander-in-Chief expressed surprise that his name has been appearing in the news very frequently lately.
"Recently, my name appears in the news more often than changes in the London weather forecast. And sometimes with such creativity that I start to think: there is a department that wakes up each morning thinking – 'What does Zaluzhnyi think today?' Even if he himself doesn't know yet," the ambassador noted.
At the end of 2025, Zaluzhnyi ranked among the top figures in public trust polls in Ukraine. Alongside him at the top of the list were President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then–Head of the Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov.
At the same time, Zaluzhnyi himself has never expressed a desire to enter politics or run in elections.
Zaluzhnyi and his statements on politics and the war
Last week, Associated Press published an interview with Zaluzhnyi in which he spoke about how, in the autumn of 2022, officers from the Security Service of Ukraine came to his office with searches. He also discussed what he described as "strained" relations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his then–Head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak.
In addition, the former Commander-in-Chief explained what he believes caused the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.
