Zaluzhnyi Shatters Illusions: No Miracle Will Restore Ukraine’s 1991 Borders

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, offered a sobering assessment of the war’s trajectory, warning against hopes that peace or a return to pre-war borders could be achieved through diplomatic miracles. Speaking at the “Export of Security: Ukrainian Weapons in the World” forum in Kyiv, Zaluzhnyi cautioned that as long as Russia retains the means to strike Ukraine, such hopes are unfounded.

"I hope that in this hall there are no longer people who still believe in a miracle, or a 'white swan' that will bring peace to Ukraine, restore the 1991 or 2022 borders, and usher in great happiness," he said. Zaluzhnyi did not dismiss the possibility of Ukraine reclaiming its occupied territories but stressed that expecting external breakthroughs - political or otherwise - would be misguided.

He made it clear that Russia's ongoing ability to wage war is rooted in its resources. Since the end of 2023, he observed, Moscow has transitioned to a war of attrition, relying on its economic and military reserves rather than swift offensives. Victory for Ukraine, he said, will only be possible if Russia's capacity to fight is fully dismantled. "By that, I mean the destruction of its military-economic potential," Zaluzhnyi explained.

In the face of a depleted population and economic instability, Ukraine must shift its focus toward a high-tech war of survival - one that aims to deliver maximum effect with minimal human and material cost. "Ukraine is simply incapable of fighting another kind of war given our demographic and economic situation, and we shouldn't even entertain that thought," he said.

Zaluzhnyi also reflected on how Russia’s full-scale invasion has transformed modern warfare. At the Ukraine-UK Defense Technology Forum in April, he pointed to the summer of 2023 as a key turning point. That’s when drones began saturating the battlefield, forcing a fundamental shift in combat strategies. "Drones appeared in the sky on a scale that led to the transformation of the entire architecture of the battle," he recalled. With digital technologies and unmanned systems now central to combat, he said the traditional image of warfare - tanks, artillery, GPS-guided strikes - no longer applies.

He noted that reconnaissance and attack drones have made the battlefield “absolutely transparent,” nullifying the advantage of armored vehicles and complicating the use of expensive air defense systems. “Armored vehicles have become defenseless against cheap drones,” Zaluzhnyi said, stressing that the economic logic of war has shifted. “It’s no longer practical to use extremely costly missiles for air defense when cheap drones dominate the sky.”

This new reality, he warned, has led to a near-standstill, both physically and strategically - comparing it to the trench warfare of World War I. Large-scale assaults are “nearly suicidal,” and conventional tactics no longer yield results. Instead, Ukraine must evolve or risk stagnation.

In earlier remarks at Chatham House in March, Zaluzhnyi expressed concern over the geopolitical implications of ongoing U.S.-Russia diplomacy. “The US is destroying the world order,” he said bluntly, suggesting that negotiations might embolden the Kremlin at the expense of Europe’s security. Still, he underscored Ukraine’s critical role on the continent: "Ukraine is not only defending NATO’s eastern flank but also securing Europe’s future security."

While many Western allies have publicly stated their support for Ukraine’s goal of restoring its internationally recognized 1991 borders, Zaluzhnyi’s message was not one of surrender or pessimism. Rather, it was a call for realism - an appeal for strategic thinking over magical solutions. As long as Russia retains the resources to attack, he argued, peace will not come from wishful thinking. It will have to be earned through technological innovation, strategic endurance, and the erosion of the enemy’s war-making ability.