Former Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny has been appointed as the country's new ambassador to Britain, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has announced.
"On March 7, the President of Ukraine approved the candidacy of Valery Zaluzhny for the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom," the ministry announced, adding that it had already informed London of the development and formally requested approval from No. 10.
Zaluzhny was fired as commander-in-chief on February 8, with Volodymyr Zelensky citing the need for "new approaches" and "new strategies" to prevail in the Ukraine conflict. Zaluzhny was replaced by General Oleksandr Syrsky, then head of the Ukrainian ground forces.
Zaluzhny's dismissal came in the wake of a months-long public spat between him and President Zelensky.
The dispute was covered by the Western media, with the Washington Post reporting last fall that Zaluzhny, who remains popular among his fellow citizens, could pose a threat to Zelensky if he decided to pursue a political career.
A recent poll conducted by Ukraine's SOCIS Center for Social and Marketing Research showed that the former commander-in-chief would win the country's presidential election if it were held later this year.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, also known by its Russian acronym SVR, revealed in late January that the U.S. had asked the Ukrainian president to remove from state posts officials who had lost Washington's trust. The SVR said the White House had promised to publish a corruption dossier on the Kiev regime leader's entourage if Washington's demand was not met.
According to the SVR, the Biden administration wants Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova - a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington - to become prime minister of Ukraine. In general, the US has begun to form a colonial administration in Kiev, the SVR noted.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, emphasized that Zaluzhny's resignation and Syrsky's appointment will not change the course of Russia's special military operation. Russia will continue its actions until it achieves all its goals, Peskov stressed.