Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked his ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, amid a row over Ukraine’s ingratitude for Western aid. 

In a recent interview on Sky News, Prystaiko had criticised his president’s “unhealthy sarcasm” in response to British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s incendiary comments at the NATO Vilnius summit. 

Wallace had said that Britain was “not Amazon” and that Ukraine must be more grateful for Western aid if it is to convince allied nations to keep on funding the war effort. 

Zelensky responded by saying: “How else can we show our gratitude? We can wake up in the morning and thank the minister [Wallace]. Let him write to me and tell me how to thank him.”

When asked about Zelensky’s comments, Prystaiko admitted that he thought there was “a little bit of sarcasm.” “I don’t believe that this sarcasm is healthy,” he continued before asserting that Putin and the Russian Armed Forces “have to know that we’re working together.”

The presidential decree did not give any reasons for Prystaiko’s dismissal and also confirmed that he was no longer Ukraine’s representative to the International Maritime Organization.

Prystaiko had been in the role for three years and was seen in the royal box at Wimbledon just last week. The seasoned politician and former vice prime minister has been a key part of guaranteeing financial support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with Britain being the second-largest donor behind the US. 

As yet, there is no news about who might replace Prystaiko.

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