Valery Zaluzhny Visits UCU
On February 8, Valery Zaluzhny, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, attended a meeting of the Senate of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). There, he met with the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Grand Chancellor of UCU, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, and discussed with the senators opportunities for cooperation with the university.
The press service of the Ukrainian Catholic University reported this.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK also met with UCU students at the Sheptytsky Center. The event was moderated by Valentyna Zasadko, Director of the UCU School of Public Administration and Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration.
During the meeting, Valery Zaluzhny shared his experience in military service, his work as an ambassador, NATO, and his vision of Ukraine’s victory.
“The war we are witnessing now, the war being tested in Ukraine, is a new kind of war—it is a war of attrition. Every time drones strike our energy infrastructure, followed by missile attacks on schools, universities, and hospitals to intimidate people, a few voices in the Verkhovna Rada declare, ‘Everything is lost.’ Shortly after, TikTok videos emerge accusing the military and CCC of corruption, and instead of mobilization, we see so-called ‘busification.’ Then, of course, the focus shifts to casualties at the front. All of this combined leads to the moment when someone says, ‘Enough, we agree to anything,’” Zaluzhny stated.
He recalled how, back in 2007, he changed his approach to leadership: “I started looking at people differently and tried to move away from the old ‘the commander is always right’ mindset.”
“In managing people,” he continued, “I follow three principles: remember the people, remember yourself, and remember the work that needs to be done. If you combine these with virtues, you will succeed. I don’t consider myself infallible, especially in crisis situations. I can be wrong, and anything I say can be adjusted.”
Zaluzhny stressed that without a global coalition to counter the axis of evil (Russia), there can be no talk of ending the war or achieving a just peace. “Ukraine, bleeding profusely, continues to fight, but there is no alliance, no coalition in the world. Until one is formed, we will not defeat this axis of evil. We didn’t stop a regional war, thus now we are dealing with a global one—one that must be resolved on a global level. We must rely on ourselves, on God, and on our partners. We are a people with our own language, history, and culture—we cannot simply cease to exist,” he emphasized.
He also stated, “Ukraine’s victory will come when Russia disintegrates into 27, or better yet, 69, principalities, and before that, when someone dismantles its nuclear weapons. But is the world ready for this? No, it is not. I believe the empire still has reserves of strength. But this will all end someday.”
When asked how educators can be useful in wartime, the ambassador responded: “The easiest way for us to establish ourselves and gain a foothold in the world is through education. There are no Ukrainian schools in Britain. There is also the archive of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain—the country’s oldest Ukrainian community organization—which needs to be preserved and digitized. Our most active community in Britain today is Ukrainian students. We should follow their example.”
Speaking about NATO, Zaluzhny said it is no longer just a military alliance but rather a political and economic one. “Unfortunately, NATO as a military institution has no real power. It mainly serves the political interests of its member states,” he noted.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented Valery Zaluzhny with a copy of his book, Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!
Finally, on behalf of all participants, Valentyna Zasadko thanked Valery Zaluzhny for his service and his contribution to Ukraine’s defense.
