WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Zelenskiy vows changes will bolster Ukraine amid defence minister uncertainty
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said personnel changes on the border and front line will bolster Ukraine's military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of his defence minister, just as Russia advances for the first time in six months in the east.
In his Monday evening address, Zelenskiy said he wanted to combine military and managerial experience in local and central government but did not directly address confusion about whether his defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, would be replaced.
On Sunday, David Arakhamia, head of Zelenskiy's parliamentary bloc, said Reznikov would be transferred to another ministerial job, but on Monday he wrote that "there will be no personnel changes in the defence sector this week."
Zelenskiy's government is cracking down on official wrongdoing, the biggest political and administrative shakeup since Russia's invasion nearly a year ago.
Zelenskiy says he needs to show that Ukraine was a safe steward of billions of dollars of Western military and other aid.
"We are bolstering our managerial positions," Zelenskiy said in his address, following a meeting of his top command involving the country's commander-in-chief, sector commanders and the head of intelligence.
"In a number of regions, particularly those on the border or on the front line, we will appoint leaders with military experience. Those who can show themselves to be the most effective in defending against existing threats," he said.
In eastern Ukraine, where there have been relentless battles for months, a regional governor has said Russia was pouring in reinforcements for a new offensive that could begin next week.
Russia launched five missile and 12 air attacks as well as 36 shelling incidents over a 24-hour period, hitting southern targets such as Kherson, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a Monday evening statement.
Ukrainian aircraft have launched nine strikes on areas of concentration of Russian forces and two anti-aircraft positions, it said. Reuters could not immediately verify battleground reports.
Ukraine is itself planning a spring offensive, but awaiting delivery of promised longer-range Western missiles and battle tanks.
The European Union said Zelenskiy has been invited to take part in a summit of EU leaders, amid reports he could be in Brussels as soon as this week, in what would be only his second known foreign trip since the invasion began.
Zelenskiy's office did not respond to a request for comment.
FIGHTING RAGES AHEAD OF ANNIVERSARY
Reznikov, a 56-year-old lawyer, has been the face of Ukraine at international meetings where allies have pledged billions of dollars in weaponry, and has been warmly received in Western capitals - including Paris just last week.
Arakhamia had said the 37-year-old head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, would replace Reznikov, who would become minister of strategic industries.
One obstacle to replacing Reznikov with Budanov, a fast-rising officer decorated for operations that remain secret, is a rule requiring the defence minister to be a civilian.
Ukraine's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not immediately reach Reznikov or Budanov.
Reznikov said on Sunday that any decision was up to Zelenskiy but that he had heard nothing about a transfer. He said he would reject the strategic industry job because he lacked the expertise.
The war is reaching a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making gains as it did in the second half of 2022 and Russia pushing forward with hundreds of thousands of mobilised reserve troops.
Russia said its forces had captured Mykolaivka, a village in the eastern Donetsk region.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine, which has disputed other Russian battlefield reports.
Russia's main target has been Bakhmut, where its state media said the Wagner mercenary group had gained a foothold. Ukraine said on Monday evening that Russian forces had trained tank, mortar and artillery fire there in the past 24 hours.
Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accused by Ukraine of sending thousands of Russian ex-prisoners to their deaths around Bakhmut, released a video purportedly showing him in a tactical bomber that had just struck the town.
He said he would fly a fighter on Tuesday and challenged Zelenskiy to an aerial duel.
Russia's state Investigative Committee said on Monday it was examining the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces near Bakhmut and nearby Soledar.
Ukraine's Armed Forces said they had never used chemical weapons anywhere at any time and accused Moscow of engaging in disinformation and of itself using banned weapons.
Since its invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, which it has cast as defending itself from an aggressive West, Russia has taken control of parts of Ukraine it says it will never return.
Ukraine has said that restoring its territorial integrity is not open for negotiation.
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
China sees Russia’s concerns over NATO expansion as premise for conflict
China remains neutral in regards to the conflict in Ukraine, but it understands Russia’s concerns over NATO’s eastward expansion and the plans to include Ukraine in the alliance, which have become the premise for the current conflict, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye said on the LCI TV channel Monday.
"NATO has been posing a threat to Russia’s security for decades, [...] the five rounds of NATO’s eastward expansion pose a significant threat for Russia’s security. This is what [Russian] President Vladimir Putin is talking about; he strongly opposes the inclusion of a number of neighboring states to NATO, including Ukraine," Lu Shaye said, answering a question about the reasons behind the current conflict in Ukraine.
"You believe that the NATO expansion does not carry a threat for Russia, but, when [Soviet leader Nikita] Khruschev decided to deploy nuclear weapons on Cuba, what was [US President John] Kennedy’s reaction?" he continued. When the host noted that, prior to the special military operation, there allegedly were no plans to include Ukraine to the alliance and to deploy NATO missiles on its territory, the diplomat noted that this could happen in the future.
"If NATO pushes its borders to Russia’s threshold, it will also deploy missiles," he noted.
The Chinese envoy opined that the actions of the West do not contribute to a prompt end of the Ukrainian conflict.
"China remains neutral in this crisis, but we believe that constant shipments of increasingly heavy weapons to one side of the conflict do not contribute to its prompt end. It is like pouring oil to the flame," he said. Answering corresponding allegations from the host, the diplomat assured that Beijing does not ship weapons to Russia and "does nothing against peaceful settlement of the conflict."
"Several months ago, European countries refused to ship tanks to Ukraine, and now they do. Today, they refuse to ship warplanes, but, maybe, in several months, they will ship them," he noted. "Maybe, one day, NATO member states will wonder if they are a side to the conflict."
Reuters/TASS
