A sanction ? Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday July 21 dismissed his ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadim Pristaiko, a key figure in relations between kyiv and London. His decision was formalized by a decree, published on the website of the Ukrainian presidency. No reason was given. But it looks like a punishment. The ambassador had recently been critical of the Ukrainian president, regretting his “sarcasm” aimed at British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, who had called for more gratitude for the military aid provided by Kiev’s allies.
On July 12, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ben Wallace claimed that the UK was “not Amazon” for supplying weapons to Ukraine, suggesting that Kiev could show more “gratitude”.
The United Kingdom has been one of kyiv’s strongest supporters and one of its main arms donors since the start of the conflict with Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky responded during a press conference, claiming to be very “grateful” to the British people. “Tell me how else I could express my gratitude?” Or we could get up in the morning, and express our words of gratitude personally to the Minister? the Ukrainian president joked again.
