Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's firing of Kyiv's ambassador to the U.K. highlights the sensitivities and difficulties of diplomacy during a war.
No reason was given on the president's website for the dismissal of Vadym Prystaiko, but it notably followed his accusation that Zelensky had shown "sarcasm" in a dispute over British aid to Kyiv.
One member of the Ukrainian parliament told Newsweek that the decision "reflects the mood and atmosphere of wartime Kyiv." But Prystaiko is only the latest of several envoys Zelensky has recalled over the past year.
Ambassador to United Kingdom
Prystaiko had been Kyiv's ambassador to London since 2020 until Zelensky issued a decree on Friday announcing his dismissal. He was also removed from the post of Ukraine's representative to the International Maritime Organization.
At this month's NATO summit in Lithuania, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that "people want to see gratitude for the West's military contribution" to Ukraine to fight Russian aggression, adding that "I'm not Amazon."
When asked about the comment, Zelensky gave a tetchy reply, telling journalists "let him write to me and tell me how I need to thank people so that we can be fully grateful." Wallace later said his comments had been "misrepresented."
But Prystaiko suggested that Zelensky had taken the wrong approach, telling British broadcaster Sky News ,"I don't believe this sarcasm is healthy."
One member of the Ukrainian parliament, who spoke with Newsweek on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, said that Prystaiko's comment was "an imprudent and unethical statement that under no criteria would suit a professional diplomat."
"His remark was clearly a mistake, making an already unpleasant situation even worse. As of the punishment, let me put it this way, it simply reflects the mood and atmosphere of wartime Kyiv."
Ambassador to Germany
In July 2022, Zelensky removed Ukraine's ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk after eight years in the post.
Melnyk had been a champion of Kyiv's cause in Germany, criticizing what many saw as a slow response from Berlin to supplying Ukraine with weapons following Russia's full-scale invasion.
But he was recalled after comments he made during the YouTube show Jung & Naiv in which he defended the memory of Stepan Bandera, the leader of the far-right Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists during World War II.
The nationalist group collaborated with Nazi forces when they occupied Ukraine and some of those forces assisted in the mass murders of Poles and Jews.
When the interviewer said that Bandera's followers were involved in the "killing of 800,000 Jews," Melnyk replied "there is zero evidence" and that it was a narrative pushed by Russia.
After his comments were criticized by Israel and Poland, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared it was Melnyk's personal opinion. On July 9, Kyiv announced he had been removed from his post. He is currently Ukraine's deputy foreign minister.
Ambassador to Belarus
Ukraine's ambassador to Belarus Ihor Kyzym was recalled from his post in Minsk following a presidential decree published on June 22, 2023.
No reason was given for his removal from the post he had held since 2017. However, it coincided with a draft resolution in June by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, to recognize Belarus as an aggressor state and on breaking diplomatic relations.
Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Moscow after the start of its full-scale invasion but had retained ties with Belarus. The Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko is Vladimir Putin's closest ally, allowing the Russian leader to use his country as a launching pad for attacks and as a storage site for nuclear weapons.
India, the Czech Republic
When Zelensky announced the dismissal of Melnyk in July 2022, Ukraine's ambassadors to India and the Czech Republic were also removed.
"This rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice," Zelensky said in a statement.
Kyiv's envoy to New Delhi, Igor Polikha, told The Hindu: "After seven years as ambassador of any country, it is normal to return home."
Yevhen Perebyinis left his post as envoy to Prague which he had held for five-and-a-half years and now serves as a Ukrainian deputy foreign minister.
Following Zelensky's removal of Prystaiko from London, Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and chair of the body's foreign affairs committee, told Newsweek that a turnover of envoys was not unusual.
"I think it's normal. Especially during war," he said. "If there is no result there is no point in keeping a person as an ambassador. We need concrete results nowadays—like weapons."
Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry by email.
