2024-03-08 04:32:42
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Former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zarzhny

March 8, 2024 13:27

James Waterhouse, Johanna Chisholm, BBC News (Keew and London)

On the night of the 7th, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that he would appoint Valery Zarzhny (50), the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, who was dismissed last month, as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. did.

“General Zarzhini has said that he wants to move in this direction and engage in diplomacy.” The president said this and explained that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is proceeding with the process. This, he said, would “further strengthen our alliance with the UK”.

On the same day, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had requested British approval for the appointment of former commander-in-chief Zarzhny as ambassador.

Mr. Zarzhny was selected by President Zelenskiy in July 2021 to be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, skipping several senior positions. He is popular among soldiers and is seen as a possible political rival to Mr. Zelenskiy.

The post of Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has been vacant since Vadim Prystaiko, an outspoken critic of President Zelenskiy, was fired in July last year.

The president appointed Army Commander Oleksandr Shirsky to replace Zarzhny. The president praised General Shirsky as having a wealth of experience in both offense and defense.

It is unclear whether the decision to give the position of British ambassador to former Commander-in-Chief Zarzhini, who had no diplomatic experience, was an attempt to reward his contributions in the war, or whether there was some element of political maneuvering involved.

However, until President Zelenskyy himself was elected in 2019, he had little political or diplomatic experience, although he had achieved domestic fame as a comedic actor and TV producer.

In Ukrainian politics, more emphasis is placed on the popularity and charisma of the person aspiring to become a leader than on the political party or policy manifesto.

The BBC has learned that although there are still formalities to be taken regarding the appointment of ambassador to the UK, Zarzhini himself has agreed to take up the post.

This will leave Mr. Zarzhny to represent the president’s policies based in the capital of an ally that treats Ukraine well. This will ensure that Mr. Zarzhny does not undermine Mr. Zelenskiy’s popularity at home, and the president can take on the tough task of mobilizing large numbers of soldiers while protecting Ukraine’s economy.

When President Zelenskiy fired Zarzhny, he said the military leadership needed a “renewal” but said Zarzhny might “remain in the team.”

Meanwhile, on the 7th, the British government announced additional military aid worth 125 million pounds (approximately 23.7 billion yen). It said it would provide Ukraine with more than 10,000 drones. The UK has already pledged £200m worth of drones this year as part of comprehensive military aid.

British Defense Secretary Shapps, who is on a visit to Kiev, announced this additional support and called on Britain’s allies to similarly increase their arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Ukraine has recently struggled once morest Russian aggression, partly due to the lack of Western military aid.

In late February, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov criticized the country, saying, “At the moment, promises (of arms) have not led to actual deliveries.” “We are doing everything possible and doing the impossible, but without the timely delivery of (weapons) we are at a disadvantage,” he said.

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