Zelensky Sacks UK Ambassador After Scandal Over Ben Wallace Comments

President Zelensky has dismissed his ambassador to the UK after he publicly criticised the Ukrainian president’s response to comments made by British defence minister Ben Wallace.

The decree announcing Vadym Prystaiko’s dismissal was published on the website of the Office of the President on Friday morning, but did not provide an explanation for the decision.

But it comes shortly after Prystakio commented on Zelesnky’s response to comments made at the recent NATO summit in Vilnius held on July 11-12, when Wallace expressed the view that Ukraine could be more proactive in expressing gratitude for the assistance provided by Western nations.

He mentioned an incident in 2022 when he travelled to Kyiv and was promptly presented with a list of necessary weapons.

"I told them, 'You know, we are not Amazon,'" the minister recalled. 

In response to Wallace's statement, President Zelensky, speaking at a press conference during the summit, assured that Ukraine has always been thankful for the support received, including that from the UK.

“How else can we show our gratitude? We can wake up in the morning and thank the minister. Let him write to me and tell me how to thank him,” he said.

On July 13, Prystaiko appeared on Sky News, expressing his concern over Zelensky's remarks, deeming them "unhealthy sarcasm."

“President Zelensky saying ‘each and every morning we’ll wake up and call Ben Wallace to thank him’ – I don’t think that kind of sarcasm is healthy,” Prystaiko said. 

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Zelensky didn’t spell out which NATO members are against covering Polish air space so Kyiv could get about a dozen aging MiGs from Warsaw.

“I don’t think we need to show the Russians there is something between us. We’re working together, Ben can call me and tell me anything he wants to.”

Certain high-ranking Ukrainian officials acknowledge that the ambassador, an experienced diplomat who had previously served as the country's foreign minister, was attempting to improve relations with the UK.