Ukraine's ex-top general Zaluzhnyi warns war with Russia could last until 2034
Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current Ambassador to the U.K., Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has warned that Russia's war against Ukraine could last until 2034.
"If we try to establish a ceasefire without building up our future defenses, the war will drag on for many more years. It began in 2014 — God willing, it will end in 2034," Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with LB.ua published on July 23.
According to Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine entered a new, radically different phase of its war with Russia in 2024.
He described a shift in Russia's battlefield tactics, noting that the Kremlin has abandoned direct assaults in favor of a war of attrition targeting both Ukraine's military and civilians.
"Right now, the front line exists mainly for killing," Zaluzhnyi said. "In 2022, tanks rode in front, and personnel followed them... Now, tanks and soldiers have switched places."
According to the former top general, Kyiv must overhaul its defense strategy and approach to mobilization to prevent Russia from exploiting Ukraine's demographic and economic vulnerabilities.
Zaluzhnyi's comments came a day after Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Turkey on July 24 for a third round of peace talks. The meeting, which lasted less than an hour, ended without a breakthrough.
Russia offered only temporary 24–48-hour ceasefires to retrieve the wounded and the dead, again rejecting Ukraine's proposal for a complete, unconditional ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin remains intent on continuing the war until the West agrees to terms favorable to Moscow, Reuters reported on July 15, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
Speaking on May 22, Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine can only sustain a "high-tech war of survival," and the only viable path to victory is dismantling Russia's military and economic capacity to wage war.
