Former army chief seen as Zelenskyy’s top rival reveals to AP a rift between them

Associated Press (AP)EN 8 min read 100% complete by By SAMYA KULLAB and SUSIE BLANNFebruary 18, 2026 at 10:53 AM

AI Summary

long article 8 min

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former army chief of Ukraine and now ambassador to the United Kingdom, has revealed a rift between himself and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In an interview with the Associated Press in London on February 2, 2026, Zaluzhnyi, who is seen as a potential political rival to Zelenskyy, discussed the previously unseen tensions. The article suggests the disagreement may stem from differing views on the direction of the war and potentially, political ambitions. The revelation comes after Zaluzhnyi was removed from his position as army chief in February 2024. The details of the rift and its potential impact on Ukraine's political landscape remain to be seen.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Kharkiv region 30% London ×240% United Kingdom ×250% Kyiv 50% Donald Trump 50% AP ×670% Ukraine ×480% Volodymyr Zelenskyy ×490% Valerii Zaluzhnyi ×590%

Keywords

valerii zaluzhnyi 90% zelenskyy 90% rift 80% ukraine 70% rival 60% army chief 60% ambassador 40% united kingdom 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Associated Press (AP)

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Ukraine

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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valerii zaluzhnyi zelenskyy rift ukraine rival army chief ambassador united kingdom

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