Former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) Valery Zaluzhny will start work as ambassador to the UK on 10 July. This was reported by sources from the diplomatic circles for the edition Public News.
No other details are provided. Earlier, Ukrainian media reported that Zaluzhny went to London on July 3. The Ukrainian ambassador has not been there since July 21, 2023, when Vadim Prystaiko left London.
On February 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky relieved Zaluzhny from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, citing stagnation at the front and the need to “reboot the generals”. Then the Ukrainian media wrote that Zaluzhny is the main competitor of the president for the presidential elections, in case they are announced.
In early March, it became known that the president had approved the appointment of the former commander-in-chief as ambassador to Great Britain. After that, Zaluzhny disappeared from the information field. Ukrainian media suggest that the general is hard at work preparing for the new job and learning English.
On May 9, Zelensky signed a decree appointing Zaluzhny as ambassador. As Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, admitted, Zaluzhny was sent to the diplomatic service so that there would be no speculation about his future activity after the dismissal.