Zelenskyy approves former army chief Zaluzhnyi as Ukraine’s ambassador to UK

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved the candidacy of former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi for the position of Ambassador to the United Kingdom

The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported.

"On Thursday, March 7, 2024, the President of Ukraine approved the candidacy of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi for the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has sent the British side a request for an agrément (the agreement by a state to receive members of a diplomatic mission from a foreign country - ed.)

Dismissal of top general Valeriy Zaluzhnyi 

Rumors of army chief Zaluzhnyi's possible dismissal surfaced in late January.

On February 8, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did dismiss Zaluzhnyi and appointed Oleksandr Syrskyi to replace him.

It was only on February 23 that Zelenskyy gave reasons for Zaluzhnyi's resignation and the change in the Armed Forces command. He stated that the replacement was necessary to reboot the army's management, but this did not mean a reset of the direction of action at the front.