Zelensky Replaces Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Days After Signaling Renewed Peace Talks

Ukraine's Zelensky replaced Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi, 60, with 43-year-old Drapatyi on July 22, 2026 — days after telling parliament on July 17–18 that he would reinvigorate peace negotiations and that "decisions regarding the army will be worked out." The sequence suggests a coordinated reassessment of Ukraine's military and political strategy as the conflict enters its fifth year.