Zelensky sacks Ukraine's Ambassador to UK over 'sarcastic Amazon comments'

Vadym Prystaiko was appointed to the post of Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK in the summer of 2020. The diplomat, commenting on Zelensky's recent remarks about his readiness to thank London for assistance every morning, said that "there was no need for sarcasm between friendly countries.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky fired Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, who previously said that Zelensky's remarks about British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace were "unhealthy sarcasm".

In an interview with Sky News, Prystaiko commented on Zelensky's reaction to Wallace's opinion, who said that Kyiv should be grateful for London's assistance.

"I think he responded with a bit of sarcasm in his statement yesterday… He said that every morning he would wake up and call Ben Wallace to thank him… I don't think that is healthy sarcasm,” the ambassador said on July 13.

Wallace said on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius that Western countries were "not Amazon" and they would like to see "a bit of gratitude" from Kyiv for their military assistance. The same evening Zelensky invited Ukrainians to wake up in the morning and thank the British Secretary of Defence. Zelensky recorded a video message to the Ukrainians, in which he said "thank you” 47 times to everyone who helps Ukraine. Kyiv is indeed grateful to the allies for their arms supplies, he stressed.

Prystaiko, commenting on the statement from the President of Ukraine, said that "the sarcastic comment from the British minister about Amazon received a similar sarcastic response from President Zelensky."

"Sarcasm between friendly countries is not needed," Vadym Prystaiko said.

Wallace then said that he had been misunderstood.

"I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realise that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in Great Britain," Ben Wallace said.

According to the British minister, his comment about Amazon was intended to show that the relationship between the two countries was partnership, rather than "transactional".

As of March 2023, the volume of military assistance to Ukraine from Britain amounted to £2.3 billion.

Vadym Prystaiko, after Zelensky's victory in the elections in the spring of 2019, was appointed to the post of deputy head of the presidential office. In August of the same year, he headed the country's Foreign Ministry, where he served until March 2020. Then he spent three months as Deputy Prime Minister and in July 2020 became Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK.