Ukrainian former top general and current UK ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi has given another controversial interview and warned that the war against Russia could drag on for another decade unless Western allies fundamentally rethink their approach to military support and strategy.

Speaking to the editor-in-chief of LB.ua Sonya Koshkina, Zaluzhnyi said: “Western doctrine is stuck in Cold War thinking, building stockpiles, not agility. What’s needed is fast adaptation, algorithmic warfare, drone swarms, and real-time intelligence integration.”

Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s top military commander since July 2021 until he got fired, has repeatedly urged Nato members to move beyond military aid packages and toward closer operational coordination with Ukrainian forces.

“Ukraine is the only country actually fighting this type of modern war. And the West? Mostly watching,” Pinner wrote. “Zaluzhnyi says we don’t just need donations, we need joint development, joint production, and deep integration.”

“Without major changes, this war could last another decade.” He added, “That’s not pessimism. That’s what happens if Ukraine is left to bleed slowly without systemic change militarily, economically, and politically.”

The interview and its explicit criticism of the support given to Kyiv by its western allies is unlikely to go down well either at Nato’s HQ or with Bankova (Ukraine’s equivalent of the Kremlin). However, Zaluzhnyi is no stranger to controversy. While he was supreme head of Ukraine’s forces he stirred up a hornets nest in an interview in 2023 by saying the war with Russia had reached a stalemate, in widely quoted comments. Zelenskiy held a press conference to rebut the claim, however, Zaluzhnyi later validated after the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) summer offensive failed to widespread disappointment.

Zelenskiy later fired the well-liked general when he overtook Zelenskiy in the opinion polls in what was widely seen as a politically motivated decision.

Much loved by Ukraine’s fighting men, Zaluzhnyi was an adroit commander and responsible for much of Ukraine’s successes in the first two years of the war. His opinion still carries great weight in Ukraine amongst voters and comes at a time when the fighting on the battlefield is not going Kyiv’s way. Zaluzhnyi argues that the war is now entering a fourth phase.

“In 2023, the traditional war ended. I'm absolutely sure that Russia now faces a choice: to gather “meat” again in 2026 but take it from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and other “cool” cities, or think of something else. Most likely, this option won't work. Why? Because someone in Ukraine will make billions of drones that will cost $5 each and it will absolutely not matter how many people Putin will send.”

Zaluzhnyi’s comments reflect mounting frustration in Kyiv over what it sees as insufficient and outdated Western military doctrine. As bne IntelliNews opined in a recent opinion piece, the war is close to being lost after the Trump administration cut its support and the EU is struggling to fill Washington’s shoes. US President Donald Trump promised to aid Ukraine by sending new badly needed Patriot air defence missiles, but it later transpired that Berlin will supply two batteries and these won’t arrive until next spring.

“Nato isn’t ready,” Zaluzhnyi said, criticising what he called “strategic infantilism” in some Western capitals — the belief that the conflict can be managed or contained with incremental measures. “That delusion is costing lives and prolonging the war,” Zaluzhnyi said.

Zaluzhnyi’s demands focus on practical collaboration rather than symbolic gestures. Zaluzhnyi calls for help in building what works, share what matters, and rewrite the doctrines that no longer reflect today’s battlefield.