Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday terminated the services of Vadym Prystaiko, the country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, following his public criticism of the president’s handling of a dispute concerning British military assistance.
Prystaiko expressed disapproval of Zelensky’s sarcastic retort towards British defence minister Ben Wallace’s suggestion that Ukraine should demonstrate greater appreciation for the provision of military equipment by its allies.
President Zelensky has issued a decree, which has been published on the official presidential website, to dismiss Prystaiko from his position. It failed to provide a rationale.
The dispute originated when Wallace made remarks to journalists during a NATO summit in Vilnius, stating that Britain is not solely responsible for delivering weapons to Ukraine like an Amazon service. He further implied that Kyiv could show more appreciation for the assistance provided.
The UK is a major donor of weapons to Ukraine and also trains its troops.
Zelensky responded at a press conference at the summit, saying he did not know how else to make clear Ukraine’s gratitude, adding: “We could wake up in the morning and express our words of gratitude to the minister personally.”
The Ukrainian diplomat concurred with a Sky News interviewer’s assertion that Zelensky responded to Wallace with “a little bit of sarcasm.”
“I don’t believe that this sarcasm is healthy. We don’t have to show the Russians that we have something between us, they have to know that we are working together,” Prystaiko added, stressing the need to smooth over relations with the UK.
“If anything happens, Ben can call me and tell me everything he wants,” the diplomat said.
Prystaiko is a seasoned diplomat currently holding the position of ambassador to the United Kingdom since July 2020. He served as Ukraine’s foreign minister from 2019 to 2020.
