Ukraine: Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed his country’s ambassador to the UK, Mr. Vadym Prystaiko, after the envoy publicly criticised the president. Kyive gave no reason for the dismissal of Mr. Prystaiko, who had also been removed as Ukraine’s representative to the International Maritime Organisation.
Mr. Prystaiko had called the Ukrainian President’s promise to thank the UK defence minister every morning “unhealthy sarcasm,” as per the statement. Mr. Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence of the UK, stated earlier this month that he cautioned Ukraine, emphasising that its allies were “not Amazon.” He emphasised the importance of Kyiv expressing gratitude for the weapons it received to garner support from Western politicians for future assistance.
Speaking at the NATO summit, he addressed President Mr. Zelenskyy’s criticism of the military alliance regarding delays in Ukraine’s membership process. “How else can we show our gratitude? We can wake up in the morning and thank the minister. Let him write to me and tell me how to thank him,” Mr. Zelenskyy said of the defence minister’s comments.
Mr. Prystaiko was appointed by Mr. Zelenskyy on 20th July 2020 as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK. The envoy had an impressive diplomatic career, having previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine.
Throughout his tenure, he held crucial ambassadorial roles, including being Ukraine’s envoy to Canada from 2012 to 2014 and the head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO from 7th July 2017 to 29th August 2019. Notably, in May 2019, he took on the role of Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, where he focused on foreign policy matters. Additionally, since 31st May 2019, he has been a member of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
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