Who is Vadym Prystaiko? Ukrainian ambassador to UK sacked for criticising Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, July 21 sacked his ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko for publicly lambasting the Ukrainian leader's 'sarcasm' at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Prystaiko made remarks in the backdrop of UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's criticism of Zelenskyy's reaction at the NATO summit, as he said that Kyiv is being 'ungrateful' despite that the allies have donated a huge tranche of weapons. Wallace asserted, "We are not Amazon". Zelenskyy joked that his government would call Wallace on a daily basis to thank him for aid deliveries to Ukraine to ward off Russian aggression. 

“I don’t believe that this sarcasm is healthy,” Prystaiko had said in an interview with the British broadcaster Sky News. 

“We don’t have to show the Russians that we have something between us. They have to know that we are working together," he added. 

A diplomatic source reportedly confirmed that Prystaiko was no longer serving as ambassador as he was sacked by Zelenskyy. 

Who is the sacked Ukrainian ambassador to Ukraine ?

Vadym Prystaiko has served Ukraine in London since July 2020. Born in the Odesa region in 1970, Prystaiko went on to study computer science and international trade at leading Ukrainian universities. He was the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Prystaiko was appointed by Ukraine's President Zelenskyy on 20 July 2020 and presented his Credentials to King Charles III on October 20, 2022. He officially became the Ukrainian career diplomat serving as Ukraine's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UK. He also held the positions of Vice-Prime-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration (2020) and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2019-2020).

Prystaiko is also popularly known for launching a start-up which was one of the first Ukrainian Internet providers and electronic media “Electronni Visti”. He served in a number of jobs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Far East Division, NATO Directorate, etc. before ending up in the position of Deputy Minister-Chief of Staff of the Ministry, which is equivalent to the Permanent Secretary, in 2014-2017. He also served as the First Deputy Minister in 2017. Appointed twice as the Ambassador, Prystaiko worked at Ukraine's President’s Office, advising on foreign policy and international security, including as a Deputy Chief of Staff of President Zelenskyy, his Foreign Policy Advisor. 

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson reacts

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Vadym Prystaiko after he was sacked as Ukraine‘s ambassador to the UK. He tweeted a photo of the pair together:

Sad to say goodbye to @VPrystaiko who has been a great Ukrainian ambassador and friend to this country. I hope he will emerge soon in another incarnation! pic.twitter.com/EciW9D6c2J

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 21, 2023