According to reports, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the nation’s ambassador to the United Kingdom after criticizing him for how he handled a dispute over British military aid.
Zelensky was chastised by Vadym Prystaiko for his snarky response to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s advice that Ukraine should be more appreciative of the weapons that its allies provide.
On the presidential website, a proclamation dismissing Prystaiko was signed by Zelensky. It did not give an explanation.
At a NATO summit in Vilnius this month, Wallace told journalists that Britain wasn’t just an Amazon delivery service delivering weaponry to Ukraine and that Kyiv might show more “gratitude.” This sparked a debate.
With a total of £4.6 billion in military aid given to Ukraine, the UK is the second-largest arms donor behind the United States. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have also been receiving training from British troops.
At a press conference held at the meeting, Zelensky responded that he was unsure of any way to express Ukraine’s gratitude and added, “We could wake up in the morning and express our words of gratitude to the minister personally.”
The Ukrainian diplomat endorsed the assertion made by a Sky News journalist 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 has been the ambassador to the United Kingdom since July 2020 and is a professional diplomat.
