On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president dismissed the country’s ambassador, Vadym Prystaiko, to the United Kingdom after he condemned the president’s response to a row over UK military aid.
Prystaiko had denounced Zelensky’s caustic reply to recommendations from British defense minister Ben Wallace that Ukraine should show more gratitude for weapons supplies from its partners.
Zelensky signed a law discharging Prystaiko, publicized on the presidential website but it did not give any reason.
The row started when Wallace told journalists at a NATO summit in Vilnius this month that the UK was not an Amazon delivery service for weapons to Kyiv and urged Ukraine could express more “gratitude”.
The UK is a major supplier of arms to Kyiv and also prepares its troops.
Zelensky replied at a press conference at the summit, saying he did not know how else to make clear Ukraine’s gratitude, he added that we could wake up in the morning and express our words of gratitude to the minister personally.
The Ukrainian diplomat agreed with a recommendation from a Sky News interviewer that Zelensky replied with “a little bit of sarcasm” to Wallace.
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.
If anything happens, Ben can call me and tell me everything he wants.”
Prystaiko added, highlighting the necessity to smooth over relations with the UK.
Prystaiko has been the UK ambassador since July 2020. He was previously Ukraine‘s foreign minister from 2019 to 2020.
