Appointment of Ukrainian UK ambassador in limbo – former envoy Prystaiko

A Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom is yet to be found, in particular, because of the requirements being exceptionally high, his predecessor Vadym Prystaiko said in an interview with Liga.net on Feb. 13.

The position of ambassador to the UK was offered to people of a “fairly high level”, he said, adding that many successful people in Kyiv, on the contrary, are not willing to go to work in other countries.

“It is obvious that this person has to be loyal, because it is a unique position where the president makes the decision [about the appointment] himself,” the diplomat said.

“No votes procedures or something are to be held, no qualification requirements. Who should be an ambassador? I can tell you as a three-time ambassador, as a former Minister and Ministry chief of staff, like that person in charge of the Ministry activities, I can tell you that ambassadors are diplomatic service Generals.”

Read also: Zelenskyy sacks Ukraine’s envoy to UK

Many refuse because the predecessor was removed from office, and therefore they will both be compared, Prystaiko added. A new ambassador must be better than his predecessor, so that others understood what the dismissal was for.

The ambassadors are considered to be an “artificial product” that needs to be “cultivated”, Prystaiko said. It may take 20 years to reach the required level, according to him.

The resignation of the Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov was followed by the information that he could head the Ukrainian embassy in the UK, but this did not happen.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, among other things, was offered the position of Ambassador to the UK when they were discussing his dismissal with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he refused to be transferred to a civilian position during the war, Censor.Net Editor-in-Chief Yuriy Butusov reported.

Read also: Zelenskyy sternly reacts to Wallace's remarks on Ukraine’s lack of ‘gratitude’

Zelenskyy sacked Prystaiko from the position of Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK on July 21, 2023.

The reason for the diplomat’s dismissal is still unknown, but the most attention was paid to the fact that Prystaiko criticized the president.

He called Zelenskyy’s statement regarding gratitude for Ukraine’s support to British Defense Minister Ben Wallace “unhealthy sarcasm”.

“How else can we show our gratitude?” Zelenskyy said in response to the defence minister’s comments.

“We can wake up in the morning and thank the minister. Let him write to me and tell me how to thank him.”

Read also: Defense Minister Reznikov rumored to be tapped for new role – interview with MP Kostenko

Prystaiko was appointed the ambassador of Ukraine to Great Britain in July 2020.

He had served as the Foreign Affairs Minister in Oleksiy Honcharuk government prior to that.

He was appointed deputy head of the Presidential Administration in May 2019, after Zelenskyy’s victory in the presidential elections, and he was transferred to the position of the President’s Office deputy head after the administration had been reorganized on June 25.

He also served as Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine