Zelensky sacks ambassador to UK following criticism

In reaction to Vadym Prystaiko's criticism of the president's handling of a dispute over British military aid, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky fired him on Friday.

Zelensky was attacked by Prystaiko for his snarky retort to British defence minister Ben Wallace's advice that Ukraine should be more appreciative of the armaments supplied by its friends.

On the presidential website, a proclamation dismissing Prystaiko was signed by Zelensky. It did not explain.

Wallace said to media at a NATO conference in Vilnius earlier this month that Britain was not an Amazon delivery service providing weaponry to Ukraine and that Kyiv could exhibit more "gratitude." This sparked a disagreement.

The UK not only provides Ukraine with many weapons but also trains its military personnel.

At a press conference held at the meeting, Zelensky reacted by stating that he was unsure of any way to express Ukraine's gratitude and adding, "We could wake up in the morning and express our words of gratitude to the minister personally."

The Ukrainian diplomat concurred with a Sky News interviewer's assertion 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. From 2019 until 2020, he served as Ukraine's foreign minister.

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