Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valerii Zaluzhnyi left for the United Kingdom on July 3 – for the first time after the publication of the Presidential Decree on his appointment as the ambassador on May 9. During this period, Zaluzhnyi went to study at the Diplomatic Academy.
This is reported by Glavcom with reference to sources.
Thus, according to sources close to the General, Valerii Zaluzhnyi left for the UK on July 3 and will soon begin to exercise his powers as the ambassador of Ukraine. The sources also confirmed that Valerii Zaluzhnyi never came to the UK since his resignation.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, recalls in a conversation with the publication: "We once had a minister at a committee meeting (Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba - Glavcom). He answered our questions very diplomatically, saying, it's all right, Zaluzhnyi is preparing for his mission. However, it was a long time ago."
Also, Merezhko said that British politicians were eagerly waiting for the new ambassador, because a colleague who heads one of the committees of the Parliament of the UK was interested in when Kyiv would send its ambassador, they said, give a signal. The publication indicates that the ambassador of Ukraine has not been in London since July 21, 2023, that is, the diplomatic mission has not had a full-fledged head for almost a year.
Recall that on February 8, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the dismissal of Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the winter, back before being appointed to the position of the ambassador the UK, Zaluzhnyi passed a military medical commission, where he was declared unfit for service in the army.
On March 7, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the candidacy of the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi for the post of the ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, and on May 9, the corresponding decree of the head of state was issued. Since then, no information has been received about Zaluzhnyi's work.
Sources of the publication state that all these months Valerii Zaluzhnyi went to study at the Diplomatic Academy. Oleksandr Merezhko confirmed that studying at the Diplomatic Academy is a common practice for preparing for the job as the ambassador.
Meanwhile, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaiko, who worked as the ambassador to the UK before the appointment of General Zaluzhnyi, from 2020 to July 2023, noted that all this preparatory work usually takes place before the publication of the presidential decree on the appointment of an ambassador.
"Zaluzhnyi asked that the embassy not inform about this fact for about two weeks after his arrival," a source close to the former head of state told the publication.
According to the law On Diplomatic Service, an ambassador is appointed by the President on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. If the country has decided on the candidacy, a request for agreement is sent, that is, for approval by the country to which the ambassador is sent.
In the case of Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine requested consent from Britain in March; it became known that the candidacy was approved in April. And the Presidential Decree on the appointment of Zaluzhnyi as the ambassador was published on May 9. The last step before the ambassador begins his duties is the presentation of credentials to the head of state, i.e. King Charles III.
Former Foreign Minister and the ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko said that Ukraine made a mistake during the procedure, because it announced that Zaluzhnyi would be appointed the ambassador to London before receiving the letter of agreement, the publication writes. According to him, with such an act, Kyiv deprived London of even the opportunity to think about the ambassador's candidacy, although obviously the British were not against Zaluzhnyi's candidacy.
The ambassador leaves after the corresponding order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the person begins to fulfill his duties in office. According to Glavcom, the head of the Foreign Ministry signed such an order the other day, which allowed Zaluzhnyi to leave for London.
The media notes that politicians and diplomats do not hide their surprise at the fact that the ambassador's visit to such an important country was too long.
"One ambassador costs Ukraine USD 100,000 a year, and if we really want to save money, then we cannot appoint an ambassador at all," ex-minister Vadym Prystaiko quips. But the embassy works more effectively when there is an ambassador who constantly communicates with the leadership of the host country, communicates with the local press, that is, communication between states does not take place only during the visits of leaders.
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