'Amazon Remarks'... Zelensky Dismisses UK Ambassador Who Criticized Him

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, AFP and other agencies reported on the 21st (local time).

The reason for the dismissal was not disclosed, but some interpret it as a response to criticism of Zelensky's reaction to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace's remark at the recent North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, where Wallace said to Ukraine, "We are not Amazon (the online retailer)."

President Zelensky issued a presidential decree on the same day dismissing Prystaiko from his post as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK. Prystaiko was also removed from his position as Ukraine's representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The presidential decree did not specify the reason for the dismissal.

Major foreign media reported that Prystaiko recently criticized President Zelensky in an interview with the British broadcaster Sky News.

In the interview, Prystaiko was asked whether Zelensky's comment that he "could wake up in the morning and thank the minister" was a sarcastic response to Wallace's criticism of Ukraine's stance on Western arms support.

Prystaiko replied, "The president said he could call Minister Wallace every morning to thank him," adding, "It seemed somewhat sarcastic."

He continued, "I don't think cynicism is healthy," and emphasized, "Russia needs to know that we are cooperating."

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. [Photo by Reuters]

During the NATO summit held on the 11th and 12th, President Zelensky showed an emotional attitude, rebelling by calling it "absurd" when NATO appeared unable to present a timeline for Ukraine's accession.

This led to a cooling atmosphere at the summit, with even consideration given to removing references to Ukraine's NATO membership invitation from the joint declaration, and Wallace's controversial remarks emerged amid this tension.

Subsequently, President Zelensky reaffirmed, "We are always grateful to the UK," and described the NATO summit outcomes, including the Group of Seven (G7) countries' promise of long-term security guarantees, as "an important security victory," attempting to manage the situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.