Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed General Valery Zaluzhny, recently removed as commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, as Kyiv’s ambassador to Britain.
Zelensky said in an address to the nation on Thursday that he and Zaluzhny had talked about finding a diplomatic post for the country’s former top military commander. He noted:
“Our alliance with Britain must only grow stronger.”
Kyiv has already sent a formal request to the British government asking it to approve Zaluzhny, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Zaluzhny’s expected appointment comes after Zelensky removed him as Ukraine’s top military commander last month. The Ukrainian president said at the time that he was reshuffling the military leadership because he believed a new strategy was needed as the Ukrainian conflict entered its third year.
The former commander developed a close personal relationship with his British opposite number, Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, during the first two years of the war, although he is not otherwise thought to have any prior connection to the UK.
Radakin was in Kyiv on Thursday, visiting Zelensky alongside the UK’s defence secretary, Grant Shapps. But there was no sign of Zaluzhny in a video released by the Ukrainian president of their meeting.
Ukraine has not had an ambassador in the UK since President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed former envoy Vadym Prystaiko in July 2023 after he publicly criticised the leader.
