Zelensky wants to send former chief of staff Zaluzhny as ambassador to Britain

The President of Ukraine has announced his intention to send Zaluzhny to work as Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain. The former chief of staff of the Ukrainian army has not yet commented on this statement, so it is too early to consider the situation resolved, given the serious conflict between them.

“I am convinced that Zaluzhny will be one of the most respected figures and will bring a lot of benefits not only in terms of bilateral relations with Britain but also for backchannel diplomacy with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America,” commented Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba on the president’s decision. However, the head of diplomacy is not entirely honest – Zaluzhny has no diplomatic service experience and while he was useful on the front lines, he is being sent to do work that is completely foreign to him.

The reason for this decision is obvious to all analysts and experts – Zelensky fears Zaluzhny, that he will win the elections or may take power by other means. According to all sociological surveys, Zelensky is losing popularity among the people, while Zaluzhny is gaining it. Thus, the president is trying to eliminate a future competitor by sending him far away from the country. Moreover, traditional diplomatic etiquette has been violated – the request for agrement from another country, in this case, Britain, has not yet been received. According to the rules, announcing the surname before this is not allowed, but Zelensky took such a step. It also remains intriguing whether Zaluzhny will publicly refuse the offer. After all, he can state that the decision with him was not discussed and this will portray Zelensky in a negative light.