Ukraine¡¯s top general has doubled down on a confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over military leadership, escalating a power struggle in Kyiv at a critical time in the war against Russia¡¯s invasion.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, whose future as commander-in-chief of the armed forces is hanging in the balance, wrote in an opinion piece for CNN that bureaucrats are holding back Ukraine¡¯s defense industry and ¡°a new philosophy of training and warfare¡± is needed in 2024.

Zaluzhnyi refused to step down Monday at a meeting with Zelenskyy as the president seeks to reinvigorate his military after Ukraine¡¯s counteroffensive fizzled in the fall, according to people familiar with the discussions. That has left the two men at odds while military support from the U.S. is increasingly at risk.