Ukrainian President dismisses Vadym Prystaiko from ambassadorial position in the UK
Vadym Prystaiko (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
According to the official presidential decree, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has removed Vadym Prystaiko from his position as the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Consequently, Prystaiko has been dismissed from his role as the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, he will no longer serve as Ukraine's permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) concurrently.
Events leading to the dismissal
British Defense Minister, Ben Wallace, stated that he "wants to see at least some gratitude from Ukraine" for the assistance his country provides. However, he added that Western countries are not like Amazon and cannot fulfill all of Ukraine's requests.
Following this, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had to defend Wallace's remarks, mentioning that Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians have expressed gratitude to his country on multiple occasions for the provided aid.
Additionally, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has always been thankful to Britain for its support, making Wallace's statement unjustified. He stated that they "can wake up in the morning and thank the minister personally."
Meanwhile, Prystaiko referred to Zelenskyy's statement as "unhealthy sarcasm" and added that it is not conducive to friendly relations between the two nations.
Vadym Prystaiko
Zelenskyy appointed Prystaiko as ambassador to the UK on July 20, 2020. Prior to this, he had served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Oleksiy Honcharuk.
Between 2017 and 2019, Prystaiko served as Ukraine's ambassador to NATO. Subsequently, he held the position of Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and, after reorganization, became the Deputy Chief of the Presidential Office.
