A protracted war from which it is “almost impossible” to get out, and new rules on the battlefield. The main thing from Zaluzhnyi’s “honest” speech at Chatham House

The full text of the speech was published by UP. NV cites the main points from the ambassador’s speech.

Zaluzhny thanked Ukraine’s allies for the fact that our country continues the struggle, and expressed hope that Ukraine and the entire civilized world “will defeat the plague that came into the world in the 21st century.” He also cited a number “facts of reality” concerning the situation in the world and Russia’s war against Ukraine:

1. The “Collective West” really exists and is a group of Western countries with developed economies, democracies and a security system like NATO.

2. There are a number of authoritarian states devoid of democracy, whose economies are fueled by mineral reserves or regulated by planning – these economies serve the interests of the leader or the ruling party.

3. There are countries that managed to leave the authoritarian empires and join the collective West. Some continue to struggle to join the civilized world and risk losing their independence. Some countries have already formally lost their independence. Ukraine is waging a war for its independence.

4. Unlike countries that lost their independence, Ukraine has been defending itself with weapons in hand for ten years. The main proof that Ukrainians want to live in the civilized Western world is the fact that the country continues to fight despite more than 30,000 dead in a full-scale war and hundreds of thousands wounded. The enemy is trying to destroy Ukrainians as a nation, and this makes future peaceful coexistence impossible, as well as options for stopping the war on the basis of “mutual security intentions”.

5. The events in Ukraine are caused by the reluctance of the collective West to influence the global security system, and Russia began its aggressive actions, taking advantage of the weakness of the West and the United States in particular.

6. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin threatens the West with nuclear weapons in case of crossing “red lines”, and Western politicians talk about the need “avoid escalation,” presumably while holding their constituents hostage. Western politicians must answer whether the war will be limited only to Ukraine.

7. The collective West did not believe in Ukraine, initially giving it “three hours, and then three days.” Later, the West did not provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of weapons, so in 2023, Ukraine did not achieve serious success in defeating Russia and entered a state of protracted war, from which it seems almost impossible to get out.

8. Russia created a coalition with China, North Korea and Iran. The BRICS alliance is also likely to expand, while the West still fears escalation.

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9. The war of the 1953 model (modeled after the Korean War) ended in the summer of 2023 with the arrival of robots on the battlefield. In 2024, technology and artificial intelligence are on the battlefield, and even Britain is reviewing its national security strategy. Global security no longer rests on fighter jets, aircraft carriers and missiles.

10. Ukrainians see victory simply and want to get three basic feelings.

11. This is a sense of their own security — Ukrainians want to be sure that no one will attack Ukraine for at least 100 years. Ukrainians want security guarantees for themselves and their children – this can be achieved by accepting Ukraine into NATO or by making Ukraine NATO, following the example of Israel.

12. Ukrainians should get a sense of unlimited opportunities for development, which depends, in particular, on the recovery of post-war Ukraine. At the same time, recovery and long-term prospects are impossible without security.

13. Every Ukrainian should feel that he is at home and in peace and tranquility.