Johnson on Prystaiko’s dismissal: He was a great ambassador
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he was saddened by the news of the resignation of Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, because he was an excellent ambassador.
Source: Johnson on Twitter
Quote from Johnson: "Sad to say goodbye to Vadym Prystaiko who has been a great Ukrainian ambassador and friend to this country."
Sad to say goodbye to @VPrystaiko who has been a great Ukrainian ambassador and friend to this country. I hope he will emerge soon in another incarnation! pic.twitter.com/EciW9D6c2J
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 21, 2023
Details: Johnson also said he hoped that the dismissed ambassador would soon appear "in another incarnation".
Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor at Sky News, believes that Prystaiko has been an effective envoy to Britain.
"It's a huge shame because the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK has been a hugely powerful and important supporter of Ukraine's efforts to get more weapons… He is really well regarded. He has been incredibly effective as an envoy for Ukraine," she said.
Background: On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Vadym Prystaiko from the post of ambassador to the United Kingdom. Prystaiko had described the president's remarks about thanking UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for military aid every morning as "unhealthy sarcasm".
Previously:
- Prystaiko recently had to explain his remark on Sky News about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s "unhealthy sarcasm" in response to UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
- Wallace had made a statement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in which he called on Ukraine to express more gratitude to its partners for the military support provided instead of constantly making demands for new types of weapons.
- He noted that lawmakers, primarily in the US, believe that more gratitude articulated by Ukraine would make it easier to make decisions about the further allocation of aid.
- In response to Wallace's words, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is very grateful to the UK and its people for their support. But he also added that "we can wake up in the morning and thank the minister personally". Prystaiko, commenting on this discussion, called the remarks "unhealthy sarcasm". This statement was taken by all observers, including the UK media, as a criticism of President Zelenskyy, and even after objections from the embassy, the Sky News channel did not delete a tweet with a critical reading of the ambassador's words.
- Prystaiko then gave an explanation in which he did not distance himself from the criticism but softened it, saying that "sarcasm between friendly countries is not needed".
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