President Zelenskyy (right) and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzny/Photo
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluznyy, who was suddenly sacked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been appointed ambassador to the UK. There is analysis that President Zelenskyy has removed Zaluzhny, who is considered his ‘opponent’, from the country before the presidential election scheduled for this year.
On the 7th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced, “Former Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny has been appointed to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.” A month has passed since he was dismissed from his position as commander-in-chief on the 8th of last month. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said in an interview on state television that the president had been looking for a suitable candidate for the post of ambassador to the United Kingdom for a long time, and that an understanding of the military context was a key requirement. The post of British ambassador has been vacant for several months since former special ambassador Vadim Prystaiko was dismissed in July last year for appearing on a British news channel and publicly criticizing President Zelensky.
Zaluzny has led the resistance as commander of the Ukrainian army since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. In particular, he emerged as a national hero by stopping the Russian army that tried to seize the capital Kiiu at the beginning of the war and regained half of the territory occupied by Russia. However, last summer, a major counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army failed, and a conflict arose with President Zelenskyy over military policy, leading to his dismissal.
Some analysts say President Zelenskyy is trying to keep Zaluzhny, who has strong public trust, in check for the next presidency. President Zelenskyy, who took office in 2019, ends his five-year term this year. With the war continuing, it is unclear whether elections will be held within this year, but as approval ratings continue to fall, a second term cannot be guaranteed. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the International Institute of Sociology in Chiu last month, the percentage of voters who responded that they supported the re-election of President Zelenskyy was 53%, down 6 percentage points in two months. The British Guardian said, “Zelensky has eliminated Zaluzhny, who is seen as the only challenger (to him) in Ukraine if the presidential election goes ahead.”
Meanwhile, on this day, President Zelensky met British Defense Minister Grant Shapps, who was visiting Kiev, and received a promise of continued support. The British government said, “We will provide a military aid package worth 325 million pounds (about 549.7 billion won) to Ukraine, including more than 10,000 drones.”
–
🌎 Global issues selected by Chosun Ilbo’s International Section! Subscribe to the newsletter ☞ https://page.stibee.com/subscriptions/275739
🌎Solve the international quiz and receive gifts! ☞
#Zelensky #static #emissions #CommanderinChief #Zaluzny #appointed #ambassador
