Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, General Valeriy Zaluzhny, remains in his diplomatic post and continues to perform his duties, despite rumors of a possible dismissal. This was stated in comments by Oksana Torop, media advisor to Valeriy Zaluzhny, commenting on reports that previously appeared in a number of media outlets about his alleged intentions to leave his post in early January.
According to her, the information disseminated is not true, and Zaluzhny himself has not changed his plans.
“As always, unnamed sources know everything about Zaluzhny and his plans. But nothing has changed. He continues to defend the interests of Ukraine as ambassador to the United Kingdom”, – Torop noted.
At the same time, earlier several media outlets, citing four sources in political and diplomatic circles, reported on Zaluzhny’s preparation to complete his diplomatic mission in London in early January. According to interlocutors close to the Office of the President of Ukraine, a few weeks ago, during a visit to Kyiv, he personally informed Volodymyr Zelensky of his intention to resign as ambassador. The sources also claimed that during this conversation, possible directions for his further work in Ukraine were discussed, among which various options were mentioned – from the head of government to the head of the President’s Office, however, according to them, Zaluzhny did not show interest in such proposals at the time.
Individual interlocutors noted that he had previously also considered the possibility of being appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States or returning to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but no decisions have been made on this issue yet. At the same time, according to sources, the issue of changing the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States is not currently on the agenda.
Valery Zaluzhny was dismissed from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 8, 2024, and on May 9 of the same year he was appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
