Zelenskyy needed much time to find strong ambassador to London: MFA's head on Zaluzhnyi
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy searched long for a candidate for the position of ambassador to London. Due to Britain being one of the leaders in providing military assistance to Ukraine, it was necessary to find someone with an understanding of the military context, according to a statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
"The president searched for a strong candidate for the position of ambassador to London for a long time. One of the key requirements was understanding the military context, as Britain is one of the leaders in providing military aid to Ukraine. This is a country that has a vision for military strategy. Therefore, the new ambassador was expected to have a deep military background," emphasizes Kuleba.
He has noted that he had several conversations with former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, during which he was convinced that Zaluzhnyi was not opposed to diplomatic work.
"We had several conversations with Valerii Fedorovych, from which I was convinced that our general is keen on diplomatic work. He also has relevant education. In 2020, he received a master's degree in international relations. I think this is a very logical step," explains Kuleba.
According to him, as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was very interested in having a strong ambassador in London.
"The president decided that Zaluzhnyi was the optimal candidate. This is definitely a reinforcement for our system. It's a decision that corresponds to the interests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interests of Zaluzhnyi himself, and undoubtedly the interests of Ukraine," the minister concludes.
Today Zelenskyy approved the candidacy of former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi for the position of ambassador to Britain.
Zaluzhnyi's dismissal
On February 8, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who had been in charge of the army since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resigned. He was replaced by Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
On February 9, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.
Budanov doubted that the reason for Zaluzhnyi's resignation could have been a conflict with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Responding to questions about possible discord between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Budanov said that there could hardly be any personal differences between the men if one of them was a "direct subordinate of the other."
He also hinted that Zelenskyy made the right decision by replacing Zaluzhnyi.
News of disagreements between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi appeared long ago. RBC-Ukraine reported on this as early as July 2022. More details can be found in the material.
