Zelensky appoints former ambassador-at-large of Ukraine to Britain

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Valery Zaluzhny as his new ambassador to Britain on Thursday, just a month after dismissing him from his post as the country’s top general amid tensions between the military and civilian leadership.

“Gene. Valery Zaluzhny told me that this is the direction he would like to take: diplomacy,” Zelensky said in a speech. video statementadding that Ukraine’s “alliance with Britain should only grow stronger” with this appointment.

Mr Zelensky made the announcement on a day when British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps visited Kiev. Mr Shapps said his country would supply more than 10,000 drones to the Ukrainian military as part of an existing military aid package that received additional funding, totaling approximately $415 million.

There have been many questions about General Zaluzhny’s fate since he was relieved of his duties last month. His resignation was seen as the result of Mr Zelenskiy’s frustration over the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive last summer, but possibly also his fear that the general, a very popular figure in Ukraine, could become a political opponent in the future .

General Zaluzhny was replaced by General Oleksandr Syrsky, then the head of Ukraine’s ground forces. The new commander-in-chief has since had to oversee the Ukrainian retreat from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka and deal with repeated Russian attacks along a front line stretching more than 900 kilometers.

General Zaluzhny is called the Iron General for his decisive leadership of the country’s army in the most challenging times, including the defense of the capital Kiev in the first weeks of the war.

He then devised and led a long-awaited counter-offensive in the south last year. But the attack failed to break through the formidable Russian defense lines, and the Ukrainian forces advanced only a few kilometers. General Zaluzhny gave a candid assessment of the November fighting, noting that it had reached a stalemate.

General Zaluzhny retained strong support even after the counter-offensive failed. Meanwhile, Zelensky’s ratings began to decline, prompting some in Ukraine to view them as political rivals.

Although General Zaluzhny has never publicly expressed his desire to enter politics, political analysts interpreted his new appointment on Thursday as a possible maneuver by Mr Zelensky to distance him from domestic affairs.

“That is a political move,” said Mykola Davydiuk, a Ukrainian political analyst. “For Zelensky, the motivation to block him in the media is that he disappears here, that he is no longer active.”

It is unknown when General Zaluzhny will take up his new post as ambassador, and he made no immediate public comment on his new appointment.